Former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo is joining Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr in the richest deal in the history of the sport.
Ronaldo, 37, has inked a $75M per year contract to play with the Saudi based club through 2025 according to reports.
The Portuguese national team member had been training at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground following his team’s elimination at the World Cup. Rumours had previously made the rounds that he had inked a deal to join a club in Saudi Arabia, but his camp quickly nixed the reports in the lead up to the holidays.
However it appears as though the reports were indeed true after all, as Ronaldo now becomes the highest paid player in soccer after he forced his way out of Old Trafford last month.
“I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country,” Ronaldo said in Al-Nassr’s press release.
“The vision of what Al Nassr are doing and developing in Saudi Arabia both in terms of men’s and women’s football is very inspiring. We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at the World Cup that this is a country with big football ambitions and a lot of potential.
“I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia. I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them help the Club to achieve success.”
The 5x Ballon D’Or winner has won virtually every trophy a player can win in soccer, save for a World Cup title, and now joins a deep-pocketed team that isn’t afraid to spend lavishly in an attempt to draw more eyes to their league.
Al-Nassr has won the 2nd most league titles in Saudi Arabia, and currently boasts several former top flight soccer players from across Europe.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina recently joined the club in July, while Cameroonian international Vincent Aboubakar, formerly of Porto FC, is the team’s current striker.
Meanwhile 6 of Saudi Arabia’s national team players, who most recently handed eventual champion Argentina their only loss of the tournament, are also members of Al-Nassr.
Sultan Al-Ghannam, Abdullah Madu, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Ali Al-Hassan, Sami Al-Najei and Nawaf Al-Aqidi will be amongst those welcoming arguably the biggest name in soccer to the Saudi club in 2023.
“This is more than history in the making,” Al-Nassr president Musalli Almuammar said in a prepared statement. “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves.
“He is a special footballer and a special person whose impact is felt far beyond football. Cristiano is joining a club with big ambitions, a competitive club amongst the very best in Asia and will be welcomed to a country that is making massive progress on and off the pitch with opportunities for all.
“But first and foremost, we can’t wait to see him in the number 7 shirt of Al Nassr doing what he does best, scoring goals, winning titles and bringing joy to those who love the beautiful game.”
The Riyadh based club are next in action on Dec 31st vs. Al-Khaleej, though it remains unclear when Ronaldo will make his Saudi League debut.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Ruben Ortega. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.