✅DONE DEAL: Man Utd icon COMPLETES £173m-a-year SHOCKING transfer, Club confirmed player to be unveiled TOMORROW – FABRIZIO RIMANO
Man Utd icon COMPLETES £173m-a-year SHOCKING transfer, Club confirmed player to be unveiled TOMORROW
CRISTIANO RONALDO has signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr to become the highest-paid sportsperson EVER, according to reports.
And Portuguese superstar – who has been a free agent since his Manchester United contract was ripped up last month – could even be officially unveiled on Saturday.
Saudi media are claiming he has penned a £173MILLION-a-year deal to play for Al Nassr for the next two seasons – a transfer that has been in the works for “weeks”.
The deal is believed to run over seven years in total – two a player, before taking on an ambassadorial role.
That means Ronaldo would pocket as much as £1.2BILLION over the course of the contract.
It is claimed Ronaldo, 37, will be announced after Al-Nassr’s game with Al-Khaleej at the weekend, with Ronaldo expected to live in the Al Muhammadiyah area.
The report also states the first part of his medical has been completed and that the second stage will be conducted in Riyadh.
Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi ever since his Man Utd deal was terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo initially distanced himself from a move to the Middle East as he wanted play in the Champions League this season.
And during his interview with Morgan, Ronaldo confirmed he had previously turned down £3m per week to play in Saudi.
When pressed on how difficult it was to turn down a figure that high, he then added: “It’s hard. It’s hard. But in the same way, I thought that I was very happy here; that I [am] still capable to score goals and make people happy.
“I still believe that I can score many many goals and help the team because I still believe that I’m still good and capable to help national team – even Manchester United.
“But if you don’t feel around you that the energy’s on your side, it’s difficult. Of course, the criticism is gonna exists all the time. Ah he’s 37, he’s not the same.
“But I want to see if some guy of my age maintain the level that I show. You’re not gonna teach me that. Nobody is gonna teach me that.”
However, following a challenging World Cup which saw Ronaldo dropped to the bench by Portugal for their shock exit to Morocco, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner appears to have changed his mind.
Al Nassr, who have also been linked with a move for Ronaldo’s ex-Real Madrid team-mate Sergio Ramos, currently sit second in the Saudi Pro League table after seven wins from their opening 10 games.
And Ronaldo would be ready to hit the ground running having returned to training with former club Real Madrid to stay fit while he sorted his future.
Ronaldo’s last match came as a second-half substitute in Portugal’s quarter-final defeat to Morocco in Qatar.
Despite his 38th birthday coming up in January, he seems set to continue with the national team until Euro 2024.
That is despite a difficult season so far – with just three goals for United in 16 appearances.
