Cristiano Ronaldo has joined the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr following his acrimonious departure from Manchester United.
“The world’s greatest athlete, officially signed for Al Nassr,” read a tweet from the club’s official account, which included a picture of Ronaldo holding up a named No 7 shirt.
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“History in the making,” added a tweet on the Riyadh club’s English account. “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home.” The picture and statement were also posted on Ronaldo’s Instagram account.
Ronaldo’s contract will run for two-and-a-half years until June 2025, with a total salary of €200m (£177m) per year once commercial agreements are included. It is thought to be the highest salary ever paid to a professional footballer.
A statement on Al Nassr’s official website added that Ronaldo “expressed he is eager to experience a new football league in a different country.” An additional quote from the player said: “The vision with which Al Nassr operates is very inspiring and I am excited to join my teammates. Let’s help the team together to achieve more successes.”
The 37-year-old left United in November by mutual consent after a series of explosive TV interviews in which he claimed he “felt betrayed” by the club he rejoined from Juventus in 2021. “I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never change, [but] it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge,” Ronaldo said after leaving Old Trafford.
Al Nassr, currently second in the Saudi league, will be the fifth club of Ronaldo’s career. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored more than 700 club goals in a career that began with Sporting in Portugal and has seen him lift the Champions League four times with Real Madrid and once with United.
Ronaldo won Euro 2016 with Portugal but suffered a disappointing World Cup in Qatar, despite scoring in the opening group game against Ghana. Having become clubless during the tournament, he was dropped from the starting XI for the knockout rounds and came off the bench as Portugal lost 1-0 to Morocco in the quarter-finals.