Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled by his new club Al Nassr in Tuesday, as almost of the Saudi Arabia was present there to watch the global superstar wave his hands in an Al Nassr shirt. A packed Mrsool Park, the home arena of Al Nassr where Ronaldo will now regularly ply his trade, welcomed the former Manchester United club in a glitzy ceremony. It is breakthrough acquisition for the Saudi side which could now change the outlook of the world as they see football in the middle-east.
However, Ronaldo may have touched down on the Saudi soil, but he will have to wait for his debut for his new club. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has completed all the formalities, signed the documents and passed the medical tests, but still can’t play in the next game, a derby against Al-Shabab. There are two main reasons for it, as Cristiano Ronaldo may even have to sit out the fixture which follows the derby.
Two reasons come forward as Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut delayed
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a blockbuster two-and-a-half-year deal at Al Nassr, who will pay him an otherworldly salary of €200m-per-year. That will see the 37-year-old pocket a total of €500m at the end of his tenure at the club. This is the costliest pay-cheque an athlete will ever receive in the history of any sport. Moreover, the signing is more significant for Al Nassr who were successful in fending-off interest from potential suitors from Europe, America, Australia and Brazil as confirmed by the player himself.
However, despite all the efforts, Al Nassr will have to wait for a couple of games before witnessing Ronaldo’s greatness on the pitch. The first of two reasons for the Portugal captain’s delayed debut is his two-game ban which was imposed on him by the England FA during his time at Manchester United. The ban was imposed, with a fine, as a punishment on Ronaldo for smashing an Everton fan’s phone in April of last year, while leaving the pitch following a game at Goodison Park.
And although Ronaldo has even left Europe for Asia, he will have to serve the two-game suspension at Al Nassr. He has already sat out a game while at Manchester United, their last game against Fulham before the World Cup break, and as a result, he will now have to sit out one more game, which happens to be the Al-Shabab clash. However, that could get even more troublesome, as Ronaldo may be forced to miss the following game as well.
Ronaldo’s registration with Al Nassr is yet pending due to the foreign players rules of Saudi FA. According to the rules, Al Nassr’s quota for foreign players is up and they need to get rid of at least one of them to register their star signing. With the Portuguese international’s acquisition, Al Nassr now have eight foreign players in their squad, and according to multiple reports, Uzbek midfielder Jaloliddin Masharapov will be sacrificed.
However, The Knights of Najd will also have to earn a Certificate of Competence from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation [SAFF] by granting dues to employees in the football sector. With all matters settled, Cristiano Ronaldo could be set for a blockbuster debut against his old rival Lionel Messi when a Saudi All-Star XI faces his Paris Saint-Germain. While its still unclear whether Messi, who is fresh from lifting the World Cup in Qatar will travel to Saudi for the clash, the Argentine does have sweet memories in the middle-east and will want to create more by winning it one last time over his arch rival.