Ronaldo’s Al Nassr move underlines Portugal star’s decline

Unwanted by Europe’s elite clubs, Cristiano Ronaldo’s drastic decline has seen a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr marking the end of his reign as one of football’s most feared strikers.

Ronaldo will be officially announced by Al Nassr on Tuesday after agreeing a contract until 2025 and reportedly worth more than 200 million euros.

But the riches and pleasures that await 37 years in Saudi Arabia are at odds with the reduced status as a trading star fallen in the heroic past.

For Ronaldo to be forced to play what will surely be the last chapter of his glittering career in the backwater of Saudi Arabian football is a damning indictment of his lackluster form that lasted 18 months.

Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, moved to the Gulf after a painful year that saw him relegated to Portugal’s bench and cut by Manchester United.

His second spell with United exploded in November when he left by mutual consent, shortly after he criticized boss Erik ten Hag and the club’s hierarchy in an explosive television interview.

As his relationship with United soured, Ronaldo was linked with a number of Champions League contenders including Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Napoli.

A return to his first club Sporting Lisbon has also been mooted, while there has been talk of a move to MLS to join Inter Miami, which is owned by former United teammate David Beckham.

But no deal could be reached and while United decided his dwindling contributions, coupled with a disapproving public view, made him an expensive luxury they no longer needed, it was clear that they were in no rush to sign an aging icon.

Coming at the same time as his acrimonious exit from United, Ronaldo’s failed bid to finally win the World Cup underlined his descent into the ranks of football’s humanity.

Tears in Qatar

In a move that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up for Portugal’s last 16 win over Switzerland.

And in Portugal’s shock 1-0 loss to Morocco in the quarter-finals, Ronaldo started on the bench, had no impact after his final introduction and was seen running down the tunnel in tears after the final whistle.

There is a sting in the World Cup story for Ronaldo because it was his old sparring partner Lionel Messi who got his hands on the trophy for the first time instead.

The mood of Messi lifting the World Cup after Argentina’s victory over France in Qatar will hurt Ronaldo because of their long-standing rivalry.

Few would question Ronaldo’s right to be considered one of the greatest of all time after winning five Champions League crowns and a combined seven domestic league titles with United, Juventus and Real Madrid.

He is also the record scorer in the Champions League and with the Portuguese national team, which won the 2016 European Championship – Ronaldo lasted less than half an hour before suffering the injury in the final against France.

But Messi’s triumph with Argentina made him a football immortal alongside Pele and Diego Maradona, a rarefied air that Ronaldo would never have achieved without a World Cup victory on his CV.

Ronaldo’s decision to accept a lucrative deal offered in the Middle East rather than play for a smaller European team makes it clear he knows his low place in the football hierarchy.

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are the new global stars to step into Ronaldo’s shoes.

Al Nassr hailed Ronaldo’s signing claiming the “history-making” deal would “inspire future generations” to be the best version of themselves.

But for the millions Ronaldo has captivated over the past two decades, this version of the superstar is far from the best.

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