As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing by Al Nassr has been officially announced.
After a falling out with the club over a failed summer deal and a bombshell interview, the 37-year-old quit Manchester United upon the mutual termination of his contract in November. He has been available on a free transfer ever since his contract termination.
His possible transfer to the Saudi outfit has long been the subject of rising rumours. Ronaldo had offers to stay in Europe, but none of them satisfied his requirements, so he decided to accept Al Nassr’s offer once more.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will join on a contract through 2025, according to a statement from Al Nassr, but no financial information was provided. According to media estimates, Ronaldo’s contract is worth more than 200 million euros ($214.04 million).
🚨 OFFICIAL: Cristiano Ronaldo joins Al Nassr, here we go! Contract valid until 2025 🇵🇹🇸🇦 #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/HB562KnaTf
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 30, 2022
After a legendary tenure at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, where he won two La Liga trophies, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles, and three Club World Cups, Ronaldo will arrive in Saudi Arabia with a great collection of club honours.
He went on to score 451 goals for Real, a club record, and has more than 800 senior goals for the club and country combined. In his three years with Italian giants Juventus, Ronaldo won two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia before returning to Manchester United. At Old Trafford he had already won three Premier League trophies, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup.
He was ever present for Portugal in Qatar, where he scored a penalty against Ghana in their opening Group H match to become the first player to score in five different World Cups. However, Morocco eliminated Portugal in the quarterfinals.
As he plans to retire at age 40, the legendary striker stated that Qatar would likely be his final World Cup campaign. A move to Saudi Arabia is expected to be the final chapter in the career of one of the greatest players in the world right now, along with Lionel Messi.
Al Nassr has won nine Saudi Pro Premier League titles. It is now counting on the Portuguese striker to help them win both their first AFC Asian Champions League and a domestic league trophy.
The Portuguese forward, though, will miss his opening two domestic matches after receiving a suspension for grabbing a phone from a supporter’s hand following United’s loss at Everton in April.
