According to Cristiano Ronaldo’s team RUBBISH his £173 million per year transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr is complete. The team of Cristiano Ronaldo has refuted reports that the forward will sign a contract with Al-Nassr on January 1.
On Monday morning, reports surfaced that the free-agent star was close to signing a lucrative contract that would have seen the five-time Ballon d’Or winner earn close to €200 million (£173 million) per season.
Sources close to Ronaldo, however, today told Sportsmail that reports of a deal being finalized were “nonsense.”
The outlet asserted that the initial agreement was worth about €100 million (£86 million), but that additional agreements like sponsorship and advertisement deals would have increased its value.
The 37-year-strained-old’s relationship with club executives deteriorated when he made several contentious claims during an interview with Piers Morgan on television. At the end of last month, he became a free agent.
In the extraordinary interview, Ronaldo confirmed that the €350 million offer for two seasons—which he had previously rejected—was genuine.
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During the World Cup tournament, where his Portugal team is currently in the round of 16, the forward made no comments about his plans. Tomorrow night they will play Morocco.
One of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia is Al-Nassr, which has won the nation’s top division nine times, the most recent of which was in 2019.
Al-Nassr may not have won the league in either 2020 or 2021, but they did succeed in winning the Saudi Super Cup.
However, despite their struggles to stand out globally, the club participated in the 1999–2000 Club World Cup.
In their group matchup that year, they faced Real Madrid, who scored three goals—Nicholas Anelka and Raul—to defeat them 3-1.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, the Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo, and the Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar, who last week scored a goal at the World Cup that was a strong candidate for goal of the tournament, is currently on the roster of the Saudi giants.
Recently, the sports minister of Saudi Arabia said he would “love” to see Cristiano Ronaldo play in the country’s domestic football league.
Prince Abdulaziz told BBC Sport that he would “love to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league,” adding that “anything is possible.”
The league would benefit, as would the Saudi sports eco-system, and it would motivate young people for the future. He has a large fan base and is a role model for many young people.
Ronaldo previously turned down a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian team, but the striker has changed his mind because the offer is too good to pass up.
The extraordinary contract, reportedly worth about £173 per year, would have dwarfed any figures that had previously ranked at the top of sports’ most lucrative deals.
Ronaldo would have easily surpassed all other active athletes in earnings, per the Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes in 2022.
Lionel Messi, a longtime rival, currently holds the title of the highest-paid athlete in the world thanks to his £103.4 million contract with French club PSG.
Lebron James of the LA Lakers is the highest-paid athlete outside of football, but even his £101.4 million contract looks tiny compared to Ronaldo’s potential contract.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar still serve his country while Portugal’s World Cup campaign continues.
Even though the European team has advanced to the round of 16 and will play Switzerland on Tuesday night, Ronaldo has drawn criticism for his performances.
The 37-year-old has failed to score again since converting a penalty in their opening game.
Additionally, in their final group stage match against South Korea, which they ultimately lost, he was substituted after only 65 minutes.