When Pellet Came join the New York universe in the 1970s at the end of his career, he became the biggest star ever to play in North America. Now, Cristiano Ronaldo could take on a similar role in the Middle East.
Ronaldo, 37, one of the best footballers in the world for nearly 20 years, has agreed to a two-year contract to play for al-Nassr, a team in Saudi Arabia, the TV channel of owned by Saudi Arabia Al Arabiya reported.
Although he is in the twilight of his career, the deal is variously reported as between 150 million and 200 million euros ($214 million), meaning Ronaldo will enjoy a hefty contract even if he leaves the more competitive world of European football behind.
There was no immediate confirmation from the team, league or Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is often considered, along with Lionel Messi, the greatest player of his generation. He has won the Ballon d’Or five times, the title given to the best player in the world, most recently in 2017. Only Messi, with seven, has more. Messi’s victory with Argentina this month at the World Cup in Qatar seems to have etched in the minds of many fans his number 1 position, while Ronaldo is in 2nd place.
Ronaldo has excelled in scoring for Europe’s top teams, including Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. But you undermine his welcome during his most recent stint at Manchester United, leaving by mutual consent in November after more than a season. He was in conflict with his manager, angry at not being started and showing reluctance to play tight defence.
His popularity is so great that even on the bench he tends to dominate the headlines rather than the United players who make passes and score goals.
Ronaldo was also the star of the Portuguese national team for many years, helping the team win the European Championship in 2016. Earlier this month, the team lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, and Ronaldo. left the field in tears after what was almost certainly his last World Cup match. He was on the bench at that tournament, tooafter pouting about being substituted in the previous game.
His reputation has surpassed the game: He has more than 500 million followers on Instagram, second only to Instagram’s own account.
Al-Nassr, based in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is one of Saudi Arabia’s top football teams, having won its most recent league title in 2019 and finished second in the world. standings this season. But like most teams in the world, it is a few steps behind the giants of Europe, like those Ronaldo has played against earlier in his career.
The team is sponsored by Qiddiya, a sports and entertainment company founded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2018 with plans to build a huge complex outside Riyadh, including a amusement park, a Formula 1 track and a football stadium.
The major Saudi football clubs are ultimately state-owned through the Ministry of Sports. The board of directors of the clubs and their finances must be approved by the Ministry. In the past, the government has said it plans to privatize clubs, but those plans have stalled.
Messi earlier this year signed an agreement with the Saudi government to become the kingdom’s tourism ambassador. With Saudi Arabia interested in hosting the 2030 World Cup, an event that neighboring and sometimes rival Qatar has just hosted, having both Ronaldo and Messi involved in their project will be considered. was a major coup for their sporting ambitions, which was expressed through new LIV Golf tour.
Ahmed Al Omran contributed reporting from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
