After the Al-Nassr agreement, Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the highest-paid football player in history.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a star striker, has signed a two-year contract with Saudi Arabian football team Al-Nassr.
According to sources, the signing was revealed by the team on Friday. He will earn $75 million annually, making the 37-year-old the highest-paid football player in history.
In a statement released by Al-Nassr confirming the agreement, Ronaldo was quoted by ESPN as saying, “I am delighted to experience a new football league in a different nation.”
“In terms of both men’s and women’s football, the vision of what Al Nassr is doing and creating in Saudi Arabia is tremendously motivating. The 2014 World Cup performance of Saudi Arabia shows that this is a nation with enormous football ambitions and lots of promise.”
“I am lucky to have accomplished what I set out to accomplish in European football, and I believe that this is the appropriate time to talk about my experiences in Asia at this point. I’m eager to join my new teammates and work toward the success of the Club with them.”
Following his contentious TV interview in which he took shots at the team, its manager Erik Ten Hag, and its owners, the Glazers family, Ronaldo and his old club Manchester United decided to end his contract last month. Ronaldo attacked the team and claimed to have “no regard” for Ten Hag, the club’s manager.
The Portugal star was spotted working by himself earlier this month at the Real Madrid training facility as he got ready to decide on his future. Despite becoming the only player to ever score in five World Cups, Ronaldo had a mixed experience at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The No. 7 suddenly ruined his World Cup dream when he came on as a second-half replacement in Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the semifinals.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner said after the loss that he would “never turn my back on my teammates and my country,” but added that he would “let time be a good adviser and allow everyone to make their own conclusions.” He was reticent to discuss his future at the international level.
Following Ronaldo’s departure, Manchester United manager Ten Hag stated that the team was “focused to the future” and that he was “gone and it’s the past.”
Al-Nassr plays in the Saudi Pro League and is situated in Riyadh. It has the second-highest number of league titles in the premier division of club football in the country.
Musalli Almuammar, the president of Al-Nassr, declared that “this is more than history in the making.”
In addition to inspiring our team to even greater success, this signing will also motivate our league, our country, and the next generation of boys and girls to strive to be the best versions of themselves.
“He is a unique football player and unique person whose influence extends far beyond football. Cristiano will be welcomed to a nation that is rapidly developing on and off the field with chances for everybody by joining a club with lofty goals, a competitive club among the best in Asia.”