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Saudi football club Al Nassr signs Cristiano Ronaldo

December 30, 2022

The Portuguese star was pictured holding the blue and yellow Al Nassr shirt with his favored number seven on the back. He signed a deal believed to be worth hundreds of millions of Euros.

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Cristiano Ronaldo in front of the Al Nassr logo
Ronaldo will start with Al Nassr in JanuaryImage: Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON/picture alliance

Saudi Arabia football club Al Nassr on Friday announced it has signed Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

The club posted a picture of Ronaldo holding up the team's jersey, and said it was "History in the making."

"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," the club said.

The 37-year-old signed a contract, believed to be worth more than €200 million ($214 million) a year, to play for the club until June 2025

"I can't wait to discover a new football league in a different country," the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus player said.

Ronaldo one of the top players in football 

Ronaldo is arriving Saudi Arabia with a wealth of club honors, having played for Real Madrid from 2009-2018, where he won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles, and three Club World Cups.

During his time at Real Madrid, he scored a club record of 451 goals and over 800 senior goals in total for both club and country.

After three years at Juventus, where he won two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia trophy, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, where he had previously won three Premier League crowns, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup. 

Manchester United terminated his contract in November following an explosive TV interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club's owners.

He is coming off a disappointing World Cup where he was benched in the knockout rounds and Portugal lost in the quarterfinals to Morocco.

Ronaldo has stated that the Qatar World Cup is likely to be his last, as he plans to retire at age 40, and a move to Saudi Arabia may mark the end of his career, which has seen him become one of the greatest current players alongside Lionel Messi.

lo/wd (AFP, AP)