Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be unveiled in front of thousands of fans at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr club on Tuesday, a spokesman said, after sealing a shock move estimated at more than 200 million euros.
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The 37-year-old Agung, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, will be late on Monday with his family along with media and technical staff, club spokesman Al-Walid Al-Muhaidib told AFP.
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Ronaldo, who left Manchester United under the cloud after slamming the club in a TV interview, will appear at Riyadh’s 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park Al Nassr stadium at 7pm (6pm SA) on Tuesday, officials said.
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The latest, and possibly final, episode in an illustrious career comes weeks after Portugal crashed out of the World Cup quarter-finals in neighboring Qatar, where arch-rival Lionel Messi lifted the trophy with Argentina.
Ronaldo’s signing until June 2025 is just the latest attempt at top-level sport by the oil-rich Saudis, who have moved into Formula One, boxing and golf and taken over English club Newcastle United.
Critics have called the strategy “sports washing” – an attempt by the conservative state to distract attention from its human rights record.
Al Nassr expects a full stadium to open, according to one official who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Ronaldo is the biggest star to play in Saudi Arabia, although other heavyweights including George Weah, Pep Guardiola and Xavi also had stints in the wealthy Gulf in the twilight of their careers.
Al Nassr, the nine-time Saudi league champion, called Ronaldo’s signing “more than history made”, saying he would inspire other leagues as well as the country.
In a tweet, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal promised to “encourage the rest of our clubs to offer quality deals with international stars soon”.
The contract is terminated
United terminated Ronaldo’s contract during the World Cup after an explosive interview in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and disrespected by coach Erik ten Hag.
The Portuguese forward has long been one of the highest paid footballers, earning a reported €31m salary at Juventus before taking a pay cut to rejoin United.
Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018), league titles in Italy (2019, 2020) with Juventus, in Spain (2012, 2017) with Real Madrid and in England (2007, 2008, 2009) ). ) with United.
He is also the top scorer in the Champions League and with the Portuguese national team, with whom he won Euro 2016.
In Qatar, he became the first man to score five World Cup penalties in a group stage win over Ghana.