Cristiano Ronaldo's entourage responds to claims that he has signed a deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr - Reports
Sources close to Cristiano Ronaldo have shot down claims that the 37-year-old would join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January, the Daily Mail has reported.
Following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo saw his Manchester United contract get terminated by mutual consent. The Portugal skipper is currently a free agent and is set to join a new club at the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Spanish outlet Marca has claimed that the former Real Madrid man is set to accept a mammoth 2.5-year offer from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr. According to Marca, the Portuguese legend could potentially earn an eye-popping $200 million per season in Saudi Arabia.
The Daily Mail, however, has claimed that they have been informed by sources close to Cristiano Ronaldo that the rumors about Al-Nassr are nonsense.
Ronaldo himself did not provide any hints about his next club in the interview with Morgan. He claimed that he was solely focused on helping Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and would not think about anything else.
Most Local fans do not want Cristiano Ronaldo to start in the last 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
For nearly two decades, Ronaldo has been one of the first names on Portugal's teamsheet, a player they could not do without. The situation has seemingly changed, with over 2/3rd Portugal supporters urging coach Fernando Santos to bench the former Manchester United forward.
In a poll conducted by A Bola (h/t Hindustan Times) before the 2022 FIFA World Cup last-16 clash, 70% of Portuguese fans wanted Santos to drop Ronaldo against Switzerland. A fan even mocked Ronaldo’s “CR7” moniker, claiming that he had become “CR37.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has not been at his best in Qatar, scoring only once (a penalty against Ghana) in three appearances. The former Juventus ace was particularly abysmal in Portugal’s Group F defeat (2-1) to South Korea on 2 December.
Ronaldo not only failed to lodge an effort on target, but he was also at fault for Young-Gwon Kim’s equalizer in the 27th minute. It was his botched clearance that allowed Kim to score the equalizer from point-blank range.