Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian facet Al Nassr on a deal that runs till 2025.
The Portugal captain is a free agent after leaving Manchester United following a controversial interview during which he criticised the membership.
Ronaldo will reportedly obtain the biggest football salary in history at greater than £177m per yr.
The 37-year-old says he’s “desperate to expertise a brand new soccer league in a special nation”.
Ronaldo added: “I’m lucky that I’ve gained every thing I got down to win in European soccer and really feel now that that is the best second to share my expertise in Asia.”
Al Nassr – nine-time Saudi Professional League champions – described the signing as “historical past within the making”.
The membership mentioned it will “encourage our league, nation and future generations, girls and boys to be one of the best model of themselves”.
In the summertime, Ronaldo turned down a £305m deal to hitch one other Saudi staff – Al Hilal – as a result of he was completely happy at United.
Earlier in November, the striker spoke out in an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV during which he mentioned he felt “betrayed” by United, didn’t respect supervisor Erik ten Hag and was being compelled out of the membership.
Ronaldo, who scored 145 targets in 346 appearances for United, left Juventus to rejoin the Outdated Trafford membership in August 2021 – 11 years after he departed to hitch Actual Madrid.
He had simply over seven months remaining on his £500,000-a-week contract with United however his quick exit was “mutually agreed”.
A day after he left the membership, he was banned for 2 home matches for knocking a cellphone out of an Everton fan’s hand after United’s defeat at Goodison Park in April.
He’ll serve the ban at home stage with any new membership – in England or overseas – though it doesn’t apply at continental membership stage, such because the Champions League.
Ronaldo not too long ago returned from enjoying for Portugal on the World Cup in Qatar, the place he made historical past by turning into the primary man to attain at 5 totally different Fifa World Cups together with his strike in his facet’s opening win in opposition to Ghana.
| Date | Membership joined | Price |
| 12 August 2003 | Manchester United | £12.24m |
| 6 July 2009 | Actual Madrid | £80m |
| 10 July 2018 | Juventus | £99.2m |
| 31 August 2021 | Manchester United | £12.8m |
