Cristiano Ronaldo Reportedly Joining Saudi Arabian FC, Al Nassr, to be the Highest-Paid Sportsman

By
Lin Jiawen
-

After leaving Manchester United for the second time a while back, it seems like Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo’s career isn’t over just yet.

In particular, it has been reported by Marca that Ronaldo will be joining Al Nassr, a top Saudi Arabian club, for two-and-a-half years.

This means that Ronaldo, currently 37, will not be retiring from football until he is at least 40 years old.

And here’s everything you need to know about the deal, which Ronaldo has reportedly accepted.

Club Will Make Him Highest-Paid Sportsman of All Time

As for how much the club is reportedly paying him, the deal from Al Nassr is apparently worth £173 million (S$283.7 million) a year, which will make Ronaldo become the highest-paid sportsman of all time. By the time his contract is over, he will have made around S$709.25 million.

Leonel Messi is currently the first on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes 2022 List, earning £103.4 million yearly. However, Kylian Mbappe recently signed a new contract that will apparently earn him £107 million per year.

Saudi Arabia’s Stand Regarding the Deal

Just last week, Saudi Arabia’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal brought up the deal of bringing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to Saudi Arabia in an interview with Sky News.

In particular, he noted how players like Ronaldo and Messi are “role models”, and that every football club would want them to play in their league.

A representative also told CBS News that Al Nassr’s interest in having Ronaldo join them is “stronger than ever”, and it seems as if it will not be long before the deal is confirmed.

Al Nassr previously offered Ronaldo a deal in the summer but was rejected after the Portuguese said that the “timing was not quite right”.

The Irish Independent added that the club’s offer is likely so that Ronaldo can also aid in “[promoting] Saudi football” and help the country secure the 2030 World Cup.

More Information Regarding the Deal

Apart from Marca, other sources have also provided more insight regarding the deal put out by Al Nassr.

In particular, ESPN claimed that Al Nassr has offered Ronaldo over £100 million a year for a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Apart from that, the club will apparently also pay Ronaldo approximately £16 million for the salary he did not earn since he left Manchester United six months before the end of his contract.

Despite the illustrious offer, ESPN added that Ronaldo has requested to be “kept out of negotiations” during this period of time as he is currently in Qatar for World Cup duty.

On the other hand, well-known football transfer guru Fabrizio Romano pointed out that sponsor deals make up a large portion of football players’ decisions to join other clubs, so “it’s not clear yet if image rights can be agreed”.

Join our Telegram channel for more entertaining and informative articles at https://t.me/goodyfeedsg or download the Goody Feed app here: https://goodyfeed.com/app/

Before becoming a free agent, Ronaldo ended his career at Manchester United for the second time after calling manager Erik ten Hag out during a TV interview.

Apart from that, he also publicly blamed the club for “betraying” him.

Before the offer from Al Nassr, it was said that Ronaldo was interested in continuing to play for a European club.

However, other clubs such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich ultimately decided against signing him.

Read Also:

Featured Image: Alizada Studios / shutterstock.com 

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

Read Also:

Advertisements
 
Lin Jiawen
Email: [email protected]