Cristiano Ronaldo faces a dilemma. Accept Al-Nassr’s proposal and be the image of Saudi football, at a time when Saudi Arabia is preparing a candidacy that will compete with Portugal, Spain and Ukraine to host the 2030 World Cup, or wait for another better offer from sporting point of view. Financially, the Saudi club’s bid is unbeatable and would be the biggest contract in football history: €500 million for a two-and-a-half-year contract.
At 37 and after the end of his contract with Manchester United, Ronaldo is a free agent in the middle of the 2022 World Cup, but the January market has few vacancies for a player like him. And, as DN learned, Al-Nassr’s offer was all it received so far. And if he said no in the summer, the Portuguese is now very close to yes, tempted by the possibility of starting play right after the 2022 World Cup.
The value of the check you receive, if accepted, also helps: it’s €500 million for a two-and-a-half-year contract and should be enough to keep you in great shape until you finish your career at Euro 2024, as you have already announced. According to DN, Ronaldo has not yet accepted the offer and will only decide at the end of Portugal’s participation in the World Cup, but according to Spanish newspaper Marca, the journey is certain and the debut could even be on January 5. , against Al-Tai in the 12th round of the Saudi league. The problem is that the number 7 shirt that made him famous is used by Jaloliddin Masharipov and the number 9, which he wore at Real Madrid while Raul did not leave the club, belongs to former Porto player Aboubakar. That leaves the 28 with which he played at Sporting…
Questioned more than ever, Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr becomes more important at a time when Saudi Arabia is preparing a bid for the 2030 World Cup, the very one that already has a joint bid from Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. The image of CR7 playing in the Saudi league will be a strong ally of the candidacy of the Arabs, showing all their ambition, after the signing of Lionel Messi as Tourism Ambassador in Saudi Arabia and taking into account that Argentina has also applied to host the 2030 World Cup, along with Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Incidentally, the submitted proposal provides for a salary of 200 million euros per season, half of which (100 million) for advertising and marketing campaigns. Therefore, if he accepts the offer, Ronaldo could open wounds in the Portuguese Football Federation and in Portugal’s ambition to host its first World Cup. FIFA’s decision will be announced in 2024, the year Ronaldo’s connection with Al-Nassr would end.
Records in sight in Qatar
With a goal in the first three games of the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo has eight in World Cups, thus trying to match Eusébio’s nine shots in just one championship (1966). Today he should have another chance to match the Black Panther, and the opponent is Switzerland, the biggest casualty of the 32 teams in the league (scored 19th).
In the three meetings with the Swiss, the Portuguese captain scored five goals. A good omen for tonight, despite all the noise and controversy his substitution against South Korea caused. When he plays, he will complete 195 caps to equal Soh Chin Ann (Malaysia), leaving him one game behind record holder Bader Al-Mutawa (196 appearances for Kuwait).
Source: DN
