Cristiano Ronaldo has officially signed for Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr, ending the speculation around his future which was making headlines since he was sacked by Manchester United. The 37-year-old had his contract terminated by the Red Devils after he heavily criticised them in an interview with Piers Morgan. As a result, it came as no surprise that the two parted their ways last month by agreeing a contract termination.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo finally has a new club before the turn of the year. While there were rumours of his potential move to Al Nassr since the last month, it was rather expected that the prolific goalscorer will spend another one or two seasons in Europe. His agent Jorge Mendes holding talks with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid was also being reported, but Ronaldo has finally picked Al Nassr as his next destination, and in the process has smashed another record.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes best paid sportsman by a stunning margin
Al Nassr had been on the trail of the Portugal captain right since the summer when he wanted to leave United after failing to win Champions League qualification. However, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to stay in Europe than join the Saudi side, with the World Cup in his sights. But his situation only worsened at Old Trafford, as he arrived in Qatar for the mega tournament with just 4 starts in United’s 14 Premier League games.
It was then followed by a heartbreaking World Cup campaign, where again he had a fallout with manager Fernando Santos over his playing time. As a result, the international men’s all-time top scorer had to start from bench, his side’s knockout games against Switzerland and Morocco. Ronaldo and Portugal’s dream of lifting the coveted trophy was then ended by Morocco who ousted them in the quarterfinals.
Back from a disappointing tournament in Qatar, its all smiles now for Ronaldo, who has returned to the middle-east with Al Nassr. Moreover, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has penned a staggering two-and-a-half-year deal which will see him earn a mindboggling €200 million per-year [including the commercial deals]. And in the process, Ronaldo has become the best paid athlete in the history of any sport, and has overtaken Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez and arch rival Lionel Messi as the active top-earning sportsmen in the world.
Ronaldo’s total package amounts up to €500 million with the Saudi side over the course of his deal which expires in 2025. With that, he toppled Alvarez, who was pocketing an annual income of €79 million as the highest-paid athlete with a stunning margin of €121 million. Messi too has fallen behind in third place from the second, with an yearly package of €70 million at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi’s PSG teammate Neymar and NFL star Matthew Stafford, both on €65m round-off the top-five of the list. However, Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers are truly extravagant as never has any sport seen such a deal being penned. But the former Real Madrid star too has paid a heavy price for that contract, leaving European football which was unexpected. After five Champions League title and a number of memorable moments, Ronaldo’s European expedition comes to an end with this Al Nassr transfer.