According to Spanish media, Cristiano Ronaldo has only received a contract offer from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Manchester United prior to the World Cup after giving a blistering interview to Piers Morgan in which he disparaged the Premier League club’s leadership as well as first-team coach Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo was seen sobbing inside the Al Thumama Stadium after Morocco eliminated Portugal from the Qatar 2022 quarterfinals.
He said on social media that his World Cup dream has come to an end. It is unlikely that he would be given another chance to compete in the FIFA international competition given his age, 37.
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But Ronaldo is determined to pursue greater success at the club level after witnessing generational rival Lionel Messi win the cup for Argentina on Sunday.
Ronaldo hasn’t received a tonne of bids for his potential new employer, as was allegedly the case in the summer when he submitted a transfer request at Old Trafford, according to Spanish media.
According to a report from the sports publication As on Wednesday, Ronaldo has only received one official offer for his services. He is reportedly presently contemplating his future move in Abu Dhabi.
Al Nassr of the Saudi Pro League is the source of this. Although it supposedly offers Ronaldo €200 million ($212 million) a year, he must carefully evaluate the offer because agreeing would essentially be an admission that he is done competing at the highest level and is already approaching retirement.
Ronaldo’s camp vehemently refutes the assertions made by As’ rival publication in the Spanish capital Marca that Ronaldo has accepted any deal.
Al Sadd in Qatar is said to be interested in Ronaldo as well. However, Al Nassr released the number ‘7’ shirt, which is presently being worn by club supporters across Riyadh, in anticipation of making the historic deal.
Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s old team, will attempt to defend the championship they won in 2021 during the Spanish Super Cup, which will be held in Riyadh from January 11–15.
There have been rumours that Al Nassr would unveil Ronaldo as their big acquisition while the attention is on the Saudi capital.
“From my perspective, the Cristiano situation is something of a soap opera but very important promotion for Al Nassr,” Rudi Garca, the Spanish manager of Al Nassr, explained this to As last week.
According to SSC Sports, club president Musalli Al-Muammar has denied having contract discussions while remaining mum regarding the proposal for Ronaldo.
“Who is Ronaldo? I don’t know him,” Al-Muammar joked to reporters when recently questioned on the matter.
“Ronaldo did not negotiate with us because he was busy with the World Cup. As far as I know, not only with us, but with other clubs too. We did not expect him to make a decision in the middle of the tournament,” he added.
“I wish Cristiano all the best in whatever choice he makes.”
