At the age of thirty-seven, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo has begun the journey of the last meters of his legendary career following his decision to join Al-Nasr Club in an imaginary deal that brings with it new challenges and huge benefits financials, while putting the Saudi club in the global spotlight more than ever.
And the club from the capital, Riyadh, announced on Friday that it had signed the best player in the world five times, until 2025, in a deal estimated at more than 200 million euros.
Al-Nasr wrote on its official website: “The Chairman of the Board of Al-Nasr Club, Professor Musli Al Muammar, has just signed a contract with football star Cristiano Ronaldo… until 2025,” adding that the contract was signed in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and that the player will wear number 7.
The club quoted the Portuguese player as saying: “I am eager to experience a new football league in a different country. The vision that Al-Nasr Club operates with is very inspiring and I am thrilled to join my teammates, in so that together we can help the team achieve more success”.
He added: “We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at the World Cup that they are a country with big footballing ambitions and have great potential. I am lucky as I have won everything I set out to win in European football and I feel now it is the right time to share my experience in Asia.”
Club president Musali Al Muammar tweeted: “I am very happy that the greatest player in the history of football has joined Al-Nasr Club and Saudi League. Our contract with Ronaldo is not aimed at winning a game or a championship, but rather beyond: to transfer great experiences, high professionalism and inspiration to a generation passionate about sports.I invite you to enjoy a chapter in the enormous development of the Kingdom of Glory.
More than a historical chapter
Al-Nasr, 9 times league champion, the last of which was in 2019, under the supervision of French coach Rudi Garcia, wrote: “This agreement is much more than writing a new historical chapter. And for generations future”.
A source close to the club had previously revealed to AFP that the value of Ronaldo’s transfer amounted to “more than 200 million euros” and that the player who led his country to the 2016 European Cup “will arrive in Riyadh next week “.
In turn, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal tweeted: “Delighted with the presence of one of the best players in the world to start his new career in Saudi Arabia. Welcome Cristiano Ronaldo to the Kingdom. We will soon be supporting the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars.”
The Portuguese champion, crowned with five titles in the European Champions League, arrives in the Saudi League against the background of a disappointing participation in the World Cup in Qatar and a completely hostile separation from Manchester United, which has decided to abandon him due to the public criticism that has done to him and his Dutch coach, Eric Ten Hag.
It seemed clear at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which ended on the 18th of this month, with Argentine rival Lionel Messi taking the title, that Ronaldo had entered the latest era of his triumphant career after being content to sit on the bench in the eighth and quarterfinals of his fifth participation in the world finals.
The Qatar World Cup was disappointing for Ronaldo in all respects, even though he scored the first goal for his team against Ghana from a penalty kick, making him the first player in World Cup history to score a goal in five different versions .
And after being content to sit on the bench in the crushing victory over Switzerland (6-1) in the final price, he entered the second half of the quarter-final match against Morocco (0-1), without offering anything significant, to waste his celebration playing 196 international matches, equaling the record set on behalf of Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa.
Ronaldo entered the Qatar finals largely distorted due to what he said about Manchester United and his manager Ten Hag, which led to his services being abandoned.
The World Cup in Qatar confirmed, without a doubt, that Ronaldo’s position, even in the ranks of his country, was not the same as in the past, and his 196 matches and not even his 118 goals did not intercede for him, to say goodbye to Stadio Al-Thumama as he wept, realizing that the last chance to embrace global glory had flown by.
Declining popularity
And before the final price match against Switzerland, the famous sports magazine “A Bola” in Portugal conducted a referendum with the Portuguese public whether they wanted Ronaldo to attend that match, and the response of 70% of them came by staying in reserve players’ bench, perhaps after getting bored with the player’s behavior in the last period.
The phase of decline actually started when CR7 decided to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to move to Juventus, looking for a new challenge after winning all possible titles with the real club, especially four in the Champions League League, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018. .
His experience at Juventus was fluctuating in terms of results, winning only two Scudettos and a local cup without giving up the success in the Champions League to the giants of Turin who were reeling for the first Scudetto since 1996, but his personal numbers never declined, closing the first season with 21 goals: in the league and 28 in all competitions, the second with 31 goals in the league and 37 in all competitions, and the third with 29 in the league and 36 in all competitions.
Suddenly, Ronaldo decided to return to the team that gave him his first title in the main continental competition, and he returned to “Old Trafford”, where he had a completely different experience compared to the situation of his first move between 2003 and 2009, also failing to qualify with the “Red Devils” for the Premier League Champions after a personally pleasing first season in which he scored 18 goals in 30 Premier League games and 24 in all competitions.
With the arrival of Ten Hag in the team things started to get more difficult, as he found himself marginalized in a season preceding his debut, asking him to leave in search of competition in his favorite competition, the Champions League, without get what he wanted.
But he finally got what he wanted through this interview he gave to prominent British journalist Piers Morgan on November 17, prompting United to drop him.
Nobody thought that the new challenge Ronaldo was looking for would bring him back to the Gulf region, where he played the World Cup in Qatar, to defend the colors of victory, which is still looking for a first title in the AFC Champions League.
Christian in short
This is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, born February 5, 1985 in the city of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira, played for: Andorinha (1992-1995), Nacional (1995-1997) Sporting (1997-2003), Manchester United (2003)-2009 and 2021-2022), Real Madrid (2009-2018), Juventus (2018-2021)
His international debut was on 20 August 2003, against Kazakhstan (Portugal won 1-0).
His successes with the clubs
Won the Portuguese Super Cup with Sporting (2002). And including for Manchester United: the European Champions League and the Club World Cup (2008), the English Premier League (2007, 2008 and 2009), the FA Cup (2004), the League Cup (2006 and 2009) , the Community Shield (2007 and 2008).
As for his achievements with Real Madrid, they have been represented in the Spanish League (2012 and 2017), the Spanish Cup (2011 and 2014), the Spanish Super Cup (2012 and 2017), the European Champions League (2014, 2016 , 2017 and 2018), the European Super Cup (2014, 2016 and 2017) and the Club World Cup (2014, 2016 and 2017).
With Juventus he won the Italian championship (2019 and 2020), the Italian Cup (2021) and the Italian Super Cup (2018 and 2020).
His successes with the Portuguese national team
He won the European Cup for his country in 2016 in France, as well as the European Nations League in 2019.
His personal achievements
The “Don” received the Golden Ball as the best player in the world five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017).
In addition to the International Federation (FIFA) award for the best player in the world (2008, 2016 and 2017), he was deprived of the title of top scorer in the European national championships four times (2008, 2011, 2014, and 2015).
And he was named European Champions League top scorer seven times, seasons 2007-2008 (8 goals), 2012-2013 (12 goals), 2013-2014 (17 goals), season 2014-2015 (10 goals), 2015-2016 (16 goals), and 2016-2017 (12 goals), and 2017-2018 (15 goals).
He is also the best scorer in the history of the Champions League (140 goals without qualifying rounds), and the best scorer in Spain three times in 2011 (41 goals), 2014 (31 goals) and 2015 (48 goals), and the title of best scorer in the English Premier League once in 2008. (31 goals), as well as being the top scorer in the Italian league once in 2021 (29 goals).
