Cristiano Ronaldo may have had a devastating FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar, but there seems ecstasy ahead for the 37-year-old free agent. Ever since his unfamous contract termination with Manchester United, Ronaldo has been tipped with a move to a number of potential suitors. However, the most unexpected of them have been Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr, who have offered outrageous amount of money to the Portugal captain.
And despite many rubbishing the rumours that Ronaldo isn’t fancying a move away from Europe yet, Al Nassr are in the final stages to bring the ‘Mr. Champions League’ to middle-east. Their offer of €500 million per-season for two-and-a-half-years for Ronaldo was much talked about, but MARCA now claim that the Saudi outfit had outrightly tabled a seven-year deal in front of the talismanic striker, who too has embraced it.
Cristiano Ronaldo to assume role of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador for their 2030 World Cup bid
Behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s new seven-year deal which will obviously make him the highest earning athlete on the planet, there a number of factors according to MARCA. Amidst his World Cup campaign, it was reported that Ronaldo has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Nassr, which would keep him at the club until the end of the 2025.
However, with the new, improved offer, Ronaldo is set to stay at Al Nassr through 2030, assuming the role of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador for their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The Gulf nation, along with Greece and Egypt has submitted a joint bid to bring the FIFA World Cup back to middle-east, and for that, Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be their poster boy.
As per Saudi’s plan, Ronaldo will continue to play for Al Nassr until the end of the 2024 season, when the former Real Madrid forward has planned his retirement as well. Ronaldo has already expressed his wish to be with the Portuguese national team for the EURO 2024 which will be held in Germany, and now he will want to redeem his damaged reputation at the World Cup as well, where he managed only one goal in five games as Portugal crashed out of the quarterfinals.
Moreover, his fallout with Portugal manager Fernando Santos led to the already departed coach benching him for the Round of 16 as well as the quarterfinal games. With Santos gone now, Ronaldo is looking forward to work under a new coach and play until the next EUROs. As soon as he retires from professional football in 2024, Saudi will then make him their ambassador for the 2030 World Cup bid, as well as hike his €200m-per-year salary.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s global impact through social media and endorsements is unparalleled and Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt and Greece plan to use his fame for their bid. That would realistically up their chances of hosting the football’s biggest festival, by toppling the bids from Argentina-Uruguay-Chile-Paraguay, Spain–Portugal–Ukraine and Morocco, who are searching for a partner.
Although Ronaldo himself had denied any agreement with Al Nassr after Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 at the World Cup, it seems he is now getting closer to returning to the middle-east. A potential deal would then cast end over the five-time Champions League winner’s European spell, wherein he has enjoyed so may trophy-laden years.