You sure, Cristiano? Ronaldo backtracks after signing for Al-Nassr in a £175m-per-year deal just a MONTH after telling Piers Morgan his desire ‘to play at the highest level’… and declaring in a 2015 interview he wanted to end his career with ‘dignity’
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational move to Al Nassr comes just two months after his tell-all exclusive interview with Piers Morgan, in which the Portuguese icon said he could still play at the highest level.
The 37-year-old signed for the Saudi Arabian side on Friday, putting pen to paper on a deal worth a reported £175million-a-year.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will now play his football outside of Europe for the first time in his illustrious career – with fans in the UK and USA unable to even watch his games with no TV deal in place with the Saudi Pro-League.
Cristiano Ronaldo has officially signed for Al Nassr on a sensational deal worth £175million-a-year
It comes
In his now notorious explosive interview, Morgan questioned Ronaldo about his career at Manchester United, which prompted several allegations and accusations being thrown at the club by their former star.
And when asked whether he felt he could still cut it at the highest level of football, Ronaldo replied: ‘I still believe I can score many, many goals and I can help the team, because I still believe I’m good enough to help the national team and even Manchester United.’
The 37-year-old currently holds the record for the most goals scored in the Champions League, with 140, but is now unlikely to be able to add to that tally in the future.
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi, having won the Saudi league nine times
But his interview with Morgan was not the first time he has stated his desire to finish at the highest level.
The ex-Real Madrid, Juventus and Man United star previously told Johnathan Ross in 2015 that he intended to finish his career with a ‘good club’.
‘In my mind, I want to finish at the top level,’ he began. ‘I want to finish with dignity, so with a good club. Not in the USA, Qatar or Dubai because that’s not good.’
‘And you wouldn’t want that for you?’ Ross asked.
To which Ronaldo replied with: ‘No.’
Ronaldo said in his interview with Morgan that he has no respect for United boss Erik ten Hag
The Saudi Pro League club announced his arrival in a tweet saying: ‘The world’s greatest athlete officially signed for Al-Nassr’.
His decision to move to Saudi Arabia effectively ends his career at the top level, although it is thought Ronaldo had been hoping to secure a switch to a Champions League club but it never materialised.
Part of his role as an ambassador will be to help Saudi Arabia’s joint bid with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup, it has been claimed.
Ronaldo had initially dismissed reports that he was set to sign for the Saudi outfit, with sources close to the player telling Sportsmail it was ‘nonsense’ that a deal had been signed.
Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo never told him personally that he wanted to leave United
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.
Ronaldo had admitted rumours of a €350m (£310m) offer for two seasons from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club in the summer were true – an offer he had declined.
Ronaldo had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli after stunning United officials by telling the club he wanted out in the summer transfer window.
