Izuchukwu Okosi
Former Manchester United, Real.Madrid and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday evening joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on a two-year deal.
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The five-time Ballon D’Or award winner has confirmed joining Al Nassr in a £177m (€200m) per year deal to become the highest paid footballer in history.
Ronaldo had a fall out with manager Erik ten Hag at Manchester Unitedhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/cristiano-ronaldo-alnassr-salary-wage-28845175 just before the World Cup in Qatar and left the team by mutual consent after his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, where he said he had no regard for the manager.
He revealed in November that he turned down a £305m Saudi Arabia move in the summer.
READ ALSO: Ronaldo Set For Al Nassr Move On 7-year €200m Deal
The Portuguese star has put pen to paper for a contract until June 2025. His agreement is valid for two years and half and his total salary will be close to £177m per year, but this includes commercial deals and bonuses.
According to sources, Ronaldo’s contract is for seven years, he’s expected to play for two and a half years before taking up an ambassadorial position as Saudi Arabia bids to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. His salary will also reportedly rise over the course of the contract.
Saudi Arabia are geared to launch a joint bid with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Al-Nassr is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prosperous clubs and the heavy investment in CR7 might signify the end of his European sojourn.
They have won the nation’s top division nine times, with their most recent victory occurring in 2019.
Ronaldo says he is “eager to experience a new football league in a different country.”
Al-Nassr have also described the signing as “history in the making.”
The club said it would “inspire our league, nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves”.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
