At the age of thirty-seven, the Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo, began the journey of the final meters of his legendary career following his decision to join Al-Nasr Club in a fictional deal that carries with it new challenges and enormous financial benefits, while it will put the Saudi club under the global spotlight more than ever before.
And the capital club, Riyadh, announced, on Friday, that it had signed a contract with 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 Directors of Al-Nasr Club, Professor Musli Al Muammar, 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 the 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 with which Al-Nasr Club operates is very inspiring, and I am excited to join my teammates, so that together we can help the team achieve more successes.”
He added, “We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance in the World Cup that it is a country with great football ambitions and has a lot of potential. I am lucky because I won everything I set out to win in European football and I feel now is the right moment to share my experience in Asia.”
Club president Musali Al Muammar tweeted, “I am very happy that the greatest player in football history has joined Al-Nasr Club and the Saudi League. Our contract with Ronaldo does not aim to win a match or a championship, but rather beyond that: transferring great experiences, high professionalism, and inspiration to a generation that is passionate regarding sports. I invite you.” To enjoy a chapter in the tremendous development of the Kingdom of Glory.
More than one historical chapter
Al-Nasr, the league champion 9 times, the last of which was in 2019, which is supervised by French coach Rudi Garcia, wrote, “This deal is more than just writing a new historical chapter. And for future generations.”
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 title “will arrive in Riyadh next week.”
In turn, the Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, tweeted, “Happy with the presence of one of the best players in the world to start his new career in Saudi Arabia. Welcome to Cristiano Ronaldo in the Kingdom. We will support the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars soon.”
The Portuguese star, crowned with five titles in the European Champions League, arrives in the Saudi League once morest the backdrop of a disappointing participation in the World Cup in Qatar and a completely unfriendly separation from Manchester United, who decided to abandon him due to the public criticism he made of him and his Dutch coach, Eric Ten Hag.
It seemed clear in the Qatar Football World Cup, which concluded on the 18th of this month, with Argentine rival Lionel Messi winning the title, that Ronaldo entered the last era of his triumphant career following he was satisfied with sitting on the bench in the eighth and quarter-final rounds of his fifth participation in the World Finals.
The Qatar World Cup was disappointing for Ronaldo in all respects, although he scored the opening goal for his team once morest Ghana from a penalty kick, thus becoming the first player in the history of the World Cup to score a goal in five different versions.
And following he was satisfied with sitting on the bench in the sweeping victory over Switzerland (6-1) in the final price, he entered the second half of the quarter-final match once morest Morocco (0-1), without offering anything significant, to waste his celebration of playing 196 matches. International, equaling the record registered on behalf of the Kuwaiti, Bader Al-Mutawa.
Ronaldo entered the Qatar finals in a largely distorted way because of what he said regarding Manchester United and its coach Ten Hag, which led to the abandonment of his services.
The Qatar World Cup 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 or even his 118 goals did not intercede for him, to bid farewell to Al-Thumama stadium while crying, realizing that the last opportunity to embrace global glory had flown.
His popularity declined
And before the final price match once morest Switzerland, the famous sports magazine “A Bola” in Portugal conducted a referendum with the Portuguese public whether they wanted Ronaldo to participate in that match, and the answer of 70 percent of them came by staying on the benches of the reserve players, perhaps following they were fed up with the player’s behavior. in the last period.
The decline phase actually began when CR7 decided to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to join Juventus, looking for a new challenge following winning all possible titles with the royal club, most notably four in the Champions League, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018. .
His experience in Juventus was uneven in terms of results, with only winning the league title twice and the local cup title once without transferring his success in the Champions League to the giants of Turin gasping for a first title since 1996, but his personal numbers never declined, as he finished 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 came once more to “Old Trafford”, where he lived a completely different experience than the situation was in his first passage between 2003 and 2009, as he failed even to qualify with the “Red Devils” to the Premier League. Champions following a personally agreeable first season in which he scored 18 goals in 30 Premier League games and 24 in all competitions.
With the arrival of Ten Hag to the team, things began to get more difficult, as he found himself marginalized in a season that preceded his start, asking him to leave in search of competing in his favorite competition, the Champions League, without getting what he wanted.
But he knew how to get what he wanted in the end through this interview he gave with the famous British journalist Piers Morgan on November 17, prompting United to abandon him.
No one thought that the new challenge that Ronaldo was looking for would bring him back to the Gulf region, where he played the Qatar World Cup, in order to defend the colors of victory, which is still looking for a first title in the AFC Champions League.
Cristiano in brief
He is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, born on February 5, 1985 in the city of Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, he 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 August 20, 2003, once morest Kazakhstan (Portugal won 1-0).
His achievements with clubs
He won the Portuguese Super Cup with Sporting (2002). And included for Manchester United: the European Champions League and the Club World Cup (2008), the English Premier League (2007, 2008 and 2009), the England Cup (2004), the League Cup (2006 and 2009), the Community Shield (2007 and 2008).
As for his achievements with Real Madrid, they were 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 League (2019 and 2020), the Italian Cup (2021), and the Italian Super Cup (2018 and 2020).
His achievements with the Portuguese national team
He won the European Cup for his country in 2016 in France, in addition to the European Nations League in 2019.
His personal achievements
The “Don” received the Golden Ball for 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), and he was deprived of the title of best scorer in the domestic European championships four times (2008, 2011, 2014, and 2015).
And he was named the best scorer in the European Champions League seven times, seasons 2007-2008 (8 goals), 2012-2013 (12 goals), 2013-2014 (17 goals), 2014-2015 season (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 preliminary 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), in addition to being the best scorer in the Italian League once in 2021 (29 goals).