Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi club Al-Nassr: Details here
Cristiano Ronaldo has joined the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr after his controversial exit from Manchester United. The club confirmed the same on Friday (December 30). Ronaldo, who has signed a contract through the summer of 2025, will reportedly receive $75 million a year. The Portugal ace would look to change his fortunes at the new club. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
Ronaldo ended his second stint with Manchester United through a mutual agreement last month. The veteran striker's exit came after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo hurt his own reputation with his controversial claims in the interview and reportedly no major European club showed interest in signing him. Nevertheless, the 37-year-old is excited about his new stint.
Here's what Ronaldo said
"I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country," Ronaldo said in a statement. "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."
Ronaldo determined to take Al-Nassr to greater heights
Ronaldo, who's in the twilight of his career, is satisfied with his achievements in European football and wants to taste success in Asia as well. "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," stated Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's stint at the FIFA World Cup
Ronaldo experienced a mixed outing in the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Though he scripted history by becoming the first player to score in five World Cups, the striker was controversially benched for a couple of games, including the quarter-finals vs Morocco. Ronaldo did arrive in the 51st minute but he couldn't save Portugal from a 0-1 defeat in the knock-out contest.
How he fared at Manchester United?
Notably, Ronaldo had two stints at Manchester United and enjoyed immense success at the club. He netted a total of 145 goals in 346 appearances. In his second spell, Ronaldo made 38 appearances for Man United in the 2021-22 season. He ended up with 24 goals. Ronaldo scored 18 Premier League goals and added another six in the Champions League.
Ronaldo's performance in 2022-23
Ronaldo was a shadow of himself in the 2022-23 season. He missed pre-season training due to personal issues and was then slowly introduced by Erik ten Hag. Across 16 matches in all competitions, Ronaldo bagged a tally of three goals and two assists. Notably, he managed one Premier League goal in 10 matches. In the Europa League, he scored twice, including a penalty.
