Ronaldo signed a record deal with Saudi club Al Nasser until 2025
KATHMANDU: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, the club announced on Friday, after leaving Manchester United to become a free agent.
Ronaldo will reportedly earn more than £177 million per year, making him the highest-paid footballer in history.
“I’m eager to experience a new football league in a different country,” says the 37-year-old.
“I am fortunate to have achieved everything I set out to achieve in European football,” Ronaldo continued, “and I believe the time has come to share my experience in Asia.”
The signing was described as “history in the making” by Al Nassr, the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions.
Ronaldo turned down a £305 million deal to join another Saudi club, Al Hilal, in the summer because he was happy at United.
“This is more than history in the making,” Al Nassr Football Club President Musalli Almuammar said. “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.”
Earlier in Nov, the striker told Piers Morgan for TalkTV that he felt “betrayed” by United, did not respect manager Erik ten Hag, and was being forced out of the club.
Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for United, will return to Old Trafford in August 2021, 11 years after leaving to join Real Madrid.
Ronaldo recently returned from the World Cup in Qatar, where he made history by becoming the first man to score in five different Fifa World Cups with his goal in Portugal’s opening victory over Ghana.
