• Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr team.
• The 37-year-old signed a deal until June 2025, the club said.
• Al Nassr have won nine Saudi Arabian League titles.

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo signed with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr on Friday, the team said. The deal is thought to be worth more than 200 million euros.

The 37-year-old signed a deal that will keep him with the team until June 2025.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus player said, “I can´t wait to discover a new football league in a different  country.”

On the Al Nassr Twitter page, there was a picture of the Portuguese star wearing a blue and yellow shirt with his favorite number 7 on the back.

“The vision with which Al Nassr operates is very inspiring, and I am delighted to join my teammates so that together we can help the team achieve greater success,” he said.

Take a look:

History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFC pic.twitter.com/oan7nu8NWC

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 30, 2022

Al Nassr have won nine Saudi Arabian League titles, with the most recent coming in 2019.

“This is more than history in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation, and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @cristiano to your new home @alnassr_fc,” the Saudis sent a tweet.

Ronaldo is going to the Gulf after a year in which Portugal put him on the bench and Manchester United let him go.

United cut ties with the Portuguese star after the veteran forward said in an explosive TV interview that he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag.

United ended his contract while he was at the World Cup with Portugal.

Ronaldo’s bid to win a World Cup winner’s medal got off to a good start when he scored from the penalty spot in their win over Ghana. He was the first player to score in five global tournaments.

But he wasn’t in the starting lineup for their Round of 16 game against Portugal, which Switzerland lost badly.

When Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals, he started the game on the bench and ended the tournament in tears.

Ronaldo has been one of the highest-paid football players for a long time.

His reported salary at Juventus was 31 million euros, but the Turin club’s books are being looked at to see if they may have understated how much they paid players.

While he accepted a pay reduction to rejoin United, sources put his basic annual income between 15 million and 28 million euros before bonuses, making him one of Europe’s best-paid players.

Ronaldo was linked to Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Napoli after his relationship with United worsened.

Sporting Lisbon was said to be interested as well.Inter Miami, which is owned in part by former United teammate David Beckham, was mentioned. None of these deals came to fruition.

United decided they didn’t need him anymore because he wasn’t helping as much as he used to and his public dissatisfaction was growing.

Also Read

Ronaldo hints towards retirement, after FIFA 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo hints that he may retire from international football. Portugal lost...