Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract, the Riyadh-based team has announced.

The Portuguese forward left Manchester United last month following an explosive television interview in which the 37-year-old said he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.

Al Nassr posted a picture on social media of Ronaldo on Saturday holding up the team’s jersey, with the club hailing the deal as “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 in a tweet.

“I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia,” Ronaldo said.

“I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them help the Club to achieve success.”

Ronaldo will arrive in Saudi Arabia with a vast collection of club honors after a glittering spell at Spanish giants Real Madrid from 2009-18 where he won two La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups.

He went on to score a club record 451 times for Real Madrid and has more than 800 senior goals overall for club and country.

Ronaldo claimed two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia trophy in three years at Juventus before rejoining Manchester United with whom he had bagged three Premier League crowns, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League and the World Cup.

He played for Portugal in Qatar, where he became the first male player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side’s opening Group H game against Ghana.

Agencies