Al-Nassr hope to keep Cristiano Ronaldo till his career retirement: Reports
According to ESPN correspondent Rob Dawson, Al-Nassr are hopeful that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at the club until his retirement. Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League side after mutually terminating his Manchester United contract.
There was a lot of hype behind the Portuguese's arrival. After representing Sporting CP, Manchester United (twice), Real Madrid, and Juventus during his career, he stepped outside the European circuit.
Ronaldo has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal with the SPL club and will earn approximately €200 million per year in Riyadh.
He will be 40 when his current deal expires. Al-Nassr, however, are hopeful of extending his stay beyond the expiration of the current contract. They are increasingly confident that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not play for any other club in his career.
Ronaldo was lively in his debut for the club against Ettifaq. While he didn't get on the scoresheet, Ronaldo gave fans a few moments to savor.
Rudi Garcia spoke about his debut as he told the media after the game:
"I told the players they need to make the right choices on the pitch, Obviously Cristiano Ronaldo is asking for the ball and we have to give him the ball because he's the player who can make the difference.
"We need to work a lot on the positions of everyone. Sometimes we had crosses but not enough people in the box. We need to work on that."
Some skill show 🤩💛 https://t.co/PW4dGG54XN
Ronaldo also captained the SPL side during his debut match. Anderson Talisca scored the only goal of the game against Ettifaq.
Garcia's team, meanwhile, are currently at the top of the SPL table with 33 points on the board after 14 games. They lead second-placed Al-Hilal by a point with a game in hand.
What's next for Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo will return to action in Al-Nassr colors on January 26 as Rudi Garcia's team take on Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup.
They will return to action on February 3, against eighth-placed Al-Fateh, who currently have 18 points on the board after 13 games.
Super Cup preparations! 🤩
Vamos Nassr 💪 https://t.co/hiTRKwyPzn