CBS “Authority to appoint Ronaldo as manager”
Cristiano Ronaldo (38) wears the Saudi Arabia professional football Al Nasr uniform.
On December 31 last year, Al-Nasr announced on his official Twitter account that he had signed a contract with Ronaldo, the best player in the world. Specific contract terms were not disclosed. According to the British Guardian and others, the contract period is until the summer of 2025, and the annual salary is 200 million euros (approximately 270.3 billion won).
Ronaldo surpasses Kylian Mbappe (25, Paris Saint-Germain), the highest paid soccer player, to become the number one player in this category. According to Forbes, an American economic magazine, the annual salary of Mbappe is 106.7 million pounds (approximately 163 billion won). When Ronaldo played for Manchester United (England) in the 2021-2022 season, he received an annual salary of 20.02 million pounds (approximately 30.5 billion won). At Al Nasr, Ronaldo is expected to wield considerable influence. CBS Sports of the United States said, “Ronaldo has the authority to appoint a manager. Al Nasr can be Ronaldo FC.”
This is Ronaldo’s first time playing in an Asian league. Having made his professional debut in 2002 with Sporting CP (Portugal), Ronaldo has since played for Manchester United, Real Madrid (Spain) and Juventus (Italy). Ronaldo has been in contact with several prestigious European clubs, including Chelsea (England) and Napoli (Italy), since last summer’s transfer window. However, no club showed interest in signing Ronaldo. Ronaldo said, “I wanted to experience a new league in another country. He will work with his colleagues to help Al Nasr achieve greater achievements.”
Al-Nasr is already enjoying the effects of signing Ronaldo. The British Daily Mail reported, “When Ronaldo’s signing was announced, fans lined up to buy Ronaldo’s uniform at the Al-Nassr souvenir shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.” Al Nasr’s Instagram followers also increased more than fivefold from 830,000 to about 5.15 million as of 5:00 pm on the 1st.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on its official social media, “Welcome Ronaldo to Asian football.” Last year, Al-Nassr finished second in the league and failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League this year. If they win the league this year, they will compete in the AFC Champions League in 2024. The AFC Champions League is divided into East Asia and West Asia until the semifinals. In the finals, the strongest teams in each region play home-and-away for the championship cup. If Al Nasr makes it to the finals, it can also face a K-League team.
Reporter Kim Bae-joong wanted@donga.com