Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr could consider terminating Anderson Talisca's contract due to special rule: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are reportedly contemplating terminating his teammate Anderson Talisca's contract due to a rule regarding players born outside of Asia.
According to SPORT, Al-Alami are considering ripping up Talisca's contract because the Asian Confederation only allows five non-Asian players to play in the Asian Champions League.
Al-Nassr are set to prioritize Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, and Alex Telles in this regard. Talisca, 29, only signed a new contract at Mrsool Park in April but his future could lie elsewhere.
The Brazilian attacker had held talks with Turkish side Besiktas about a potential transfer. However, negotiations have fallen through with the Super Lig outfit announcing that they disagreed with his financial demands.
Talisca has been at Al-Nassr since 2021 when he joined the Saudi Pro League giants from Chinese Super League side GuaZ FC. He has since made 67 appearances across competitions, scoring 44 goals and providing eight assists.
He forged a fine partnership with Ronaldo last season after the Portuguese legend arrived in January. He scored 21 goals and provided two assists in 27 matches across competitions.
However, Al-Nassr have continued to bolster their squad with more non-Asian talent following Ronaldo's arrival. Mane and Brozovic have come through the door leaving Talisca's place at the club in a precarious position.
Al-Nassr attacker Talisca explains why he prefers Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo has been renowned for his extraordinary work ethic during his illustrious career. The iconic forward is the first one in and the last one out of training as he constantly looks for ways to further improve.
It's Ronaldo's professionalism for which Talisca prefers his Al-Nassr teammate to long-time rival Lionel Messi. He explained to the Out of the Game podcast:
"Im more Cristiano Ronaldo than Messi. Where he got to and where he is… Of course, he has the gift of God, but he is a monster. He works hard and is very dedicated. He worked for that what it is today.”
Ronaldo has broken several records during his career, including becoming the all-time top goalscorer in club and international football. He currently sits on 721 goals in 975 club appearances while he has bagged 123 goals in 200 games for Portugal.
Meanwhile, Messi is on his tail with 720 goals in 882 matches and he has managed 103 in 175 games for Argentina. Both will go down as legends of the game having dominated football for the past two decades.