Al Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia has made a huge revelation about his new signing Cristiano Ronaldo’s future. The 37-year-old forward joined Al Nassr last month, in what was the most lucrative deal an athlete has ever signed. Ronaldo put pen to paper on a 2.5 year contract with the Saudi side, making him the highest-paid athlete of all time at a jaw-dropping salary of £176m-per-season.
While he may have signed the richest deal, Cristiano Ronaldo had to sacrifice playing in Europe for it. The Portuguese was reportedly keen on leaving Manchester United for a Champions League club, only to find a suitor in the Arabs. His European journey came to an abrupt end, with a bitter departure from United, who sacked him following his explosive and unauthorised interview with Piers Morgan.
Garcia claims Cristiano Ronaldo won’t end career at Al Nassr and return to Europe
It was being speculated that Al Nassr will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final destination, as he will be almost 40 by the end of his 2.5 year contract, with a whopping £440m in his bank account credited by his current employers. Moreover, no European club was ready to sign him in the summer, as well as after he left United, although the former Real Madrid star claims there were offers on his table from the continent.
As bid adieu to Europe for middle-east, many closed the door on Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential return to Europe. However, Rudi Garcia has revealed that Al Nassr is not the club where the Champions League all-time topscorer will end his career, and will rather make a comeback to Europe. The former Lyon manager said:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition, as he helps to disperse defenders. He is one of the best players in the world. He will not finish his career at Al Nassr, he will return to Europe.”
While the Al Nassr manager has made a shocking yet joyful claim, it would be tough to imagine an European side signing a 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who might have even fallen well past his peak. The Portugal captain has further found life in Saudi Arabia somewhat difficult as he is yet to score a goal for his new side. Al Nassr were also knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup by Al Ittihad, as Ronaldo failed to inspire them. Garcia said of the striker’s form:
“Ronaldo missed a chance on goal that would have turned the game around in the first half but I congratulate Al Ittihad. They were much better than us until the break. So we reacted but we could no longer turn around. We lost the Super Cup but we are still first in the championship.
“It is very important that the players play normally and don’t always try to give Cristiano the ball. I told them they had to make the right decisions on the field. Obviously, when Cristiano or Talisca are alone and ask for the ball, we have to give them the ball.
“These two players are capable of making a difference. I think sometimes we had good crossing positions, but there were not enough people in the box, sometimes not Ronaldo or Talisca. We have to work on it, have one of them in the area and maybe the other will play outside the area.”
Cristiano Ronaldo had one of the most illustrious careers in Europe, winning five Champions Leagues, three Super Cups, seven league titles amongst 15 other trophies across spells with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. Meanwhile, Ronaldo and Al Nassr’s next challenge is a trip to Al-Mubarraz to take on Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League on 3 February. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will hope to finally register his first goal for Al Nassr against his next opponents.