Ronaldo and his Saudi membership facet Al Nassr made the brand new deal official through social media, placing an finish to rumours he might signal elsewhere.
Cristiano Ronaldo inked a two-year extension with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, the membership introduced, following weeks of hypothesis over which group he would signal for subsequent season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC till 2027,” the membership wrote in a submit on X on Thursday.
Minutes earlier than the official affirmation, the group posted a teaser video, with the 40-year-old Ronaldo strolling alongside a beachfront and saying: “Al Nassr without end.”
The Portuguese celebrity arrived in 2023 within the kingdom to play with the membership, heralding a rush of gamers within the latter levels of their careers to the oil-rich nation.
Final month, Ronaldo posted “This chapter is over” hours after the Saudi Professional League wrapped up with Al Nassr ending third and trophy-less as soon as once more.
“Ronaldo’s presence is a key think about creating the Saudi league within the final two years and a half. He opens the door for elite and younger gamers to return to Saudi Arabia,” a supply from the Public Funding Fund (PIF), a serious investor in Saudi soccer, informed AFP final month.
The oil-funded PIF, the sovereign wealth fund behind a lot of big-ticket Saudi investments, controls a bunch of Professional League golf equipment together with Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli.
Ronaldo’s new two-year extension with Al Nassr is believed to be one of the crucial profitable contracts in world soccer (File: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters)
Time for a title
Ronaldo’s announcement in Could got here simply months after Brazilian star Neymar ended his injury-plagued 18-month keep in January, after taking part in simply seven occasions for Al Hilal – on a reported wage of about $104m a 12 months.
Though Ronaldo was the Professional League’s prime scorer with 25 targets, he has been unable to win a Saudi or continental trophy with Al Nassr, who misplaced within the Asian Champions League semifinals final month.
Final 12 months, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner mentioned he might finish his profession with Al Nassr, the Riyadh group favoured by a lot of Saudi royals.
Saudi Arabia has shaken up soccer by spending closely on stars from Europe, beginning with Ronaldo’s transfer in late 2022, and the desert nation will host the World Cup in 2034.
For the previous two years, Saudi soccer followers might watch the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, with six Ballons d’Or between them, on any given weekend throughout the soccer season within the kingdom.
Nonetheless, the oil-fuelled Saudi soccer undertaking has drawn comparisons with the Chinese language Tremendous League, which imported gamers on exorbitant salaries till group house owners went bust because the Chinese language financial system fizzled.
However with Saudi Arabia set to host the 2034 World Cup, and determined to re-model itself as a tourism and enterprise magnet earlier than international oil demand falls for good, there’s most likely extra to return from the Professional League.
Ronaldo appeared to commerce an end-of-career payday for soccer obscurity when he first moved to Riyadh’s Al Nassr two years in the past in a deal mentioned to be price $250m on the time.
The Story continues.. 🐐 💛
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— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) June 26, 2025
