"The best athlete in the world officially signed for Al Nassr," announced Cristiano Ronaldo's new team, which has been linked to play the next two and a half seasons in the Saudi Professional League, almost at midnight.
The Portuguese star takes a turn in his career and leaves the great European stage one month after his 38th birthday.
If he had any doubts about the decision, various sources point out that he would have been convinced with an astronomical contract that would be around 200 million euros per season.
He comes to a team that is second in the championship and that won its last league four years ago.
He will be trained by the Frenchman Rudi García, who not long ago could have been his coach at United, and will have footballers such as the Colombian goalkeeper Ospina, the Spanish central defender Álvaro González or the Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar as teammates.
الرياضي الأعظـم عالميًا 🌏
يـوقع رسميًا لـ #العالمي 🤩#رون الدو_نصراوي pic.twitter.com/BBq469mAYh
— نادي النصر السعودي (@AlNassrFC) December 30, 2022
Cristiano arrives in Arabia after an abrupt departure from Manchester United, from which he was priced after a television interview in which he charged against owners, coach and even hinted at his dissatisfaction with the attitude of several teammates.
In that meeting with the English journalist Piers Morgan, he pointed out that last summer he had rejected an offer from Arabia that put a contract of 300 million euros on the table.
Now he is leaving after scoring 701 goals in his career at Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, after 118 more goals in 196 games with the Portuguese team, of which he was a totem for almost the last two decades and in which he lost ownership in the past World Cup.
Al-Nassr is a great from Arabia, a history of the League of his country, but he is not playing in the Asian Champions League this season, but CR was excited about his new challenge: "I am delighted with a new experience in a league different and a different country, the vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring.
I am very excited to join my teammates and help them achieve more success.”
The president of his new club pointed out that the Portuguese soccer player is a role model for young people and athletes and advanced that his signing will allow Saudi sports to achieve success for future generations.
In his new destination, Cristiano Ronaldo will meet the demands of a club that only wins and has a large following.
Soon he will also have to evolve in harsh environmental conditions and adapt to a society and culture very different from the one he is used to.
"I had the prince on the bench!", explained the Galician Raúl Caneda to this newspaper when reviewing his experience as coach of Al-Nassr in two stages, in 2014 and 2016. Caneda describes a competitive environment in Riyadh, the Saudi capital where Cristiano's new team is based.
“The league is at a First level.
More than anything because the regulations allow having seven foreigners per team and most of them have a lot of quality.
The passion of the people is similar to that of Turkey”, pointed out the Galician coach.
Al-Nassr is sponsored by Qiddiya, a company linked to the world of entertainment that depends on the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, the same one that owns Newcastle.
In reality, government control of football clubs is tight.
Arabia aims to organize the 2030 World Cup, in competition with the project in which Spain participates and has just signed an agreement with Leo Messi, who has become the country's tourism ambassador.
Arabia is a sweet destination.
The income is net because the soccer players do not pay taxes.
Cristiano will earn much more than at Manchester United, where it was pointed out that he received 30 million euros a year.
There he gave up what was left of a contract that expired next June.
He said that he felt uncomfortable because the owners lacked empathy and trainer Erik Ten Hag did not respect him.
He complained that he played added time in a Premier League match.
He will now cash in what is pointed out as his last destination in soccer.
Or not.
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