Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar, will be revealed in front of thousands of supporters at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr club on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman, after completing a shock deal worth more than 200 million euros.
The 37-year-old great, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, will arrive late on Monday with his family, as well as media and technical personnel, according to club spokesman Al-Walid Al-Muhaidib.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United under fire after criticizing the club in a TV interview, will appear on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) at Al Nassr’s 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park stadium in Riyadh, according to officials.
The latest, and possibly final, chapter in an amazing career comes only weeks after Portugal’s World Cup quarter-final elimination in neighboring Qatar, where his great adversary Lionel Messi lifted the cup with Argentina.
Ronaldo’s contract extension until June 2025 is the oil-rich Saudi Arabia’s latest incursion into top-tier sports, following acquisitions of Formula One, boxing, and golf, as well as English club Newcastle United.
The campaign has been labeled “sportswashing” by critics, who see it as a ploy by the conservative government to divert attention away from its human rights record.
According to one official who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, Al Nassr expects a full stadium for the unveiling.
Ronaldo is by far the most famous player to have played in Saudi Arabia, but other legends such as George Weah, Pep Guardiola, and Xavi have also spent time in the affluent Gulf in their later years.
The nine-time Saudi league champions, Al Nassr, have described Ronaldo’s signing as “more than history in the making,” believing he will inspire the rest of the league and even the country.
In a tweet, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal offered to “help the remainder of our clubs for quality deals with worldwide talents shortly”.
United terminated Ronaldo’s contract during the World Cup after he declared he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag in an angry interview.
The Portuguese attacker was once one of the highest-paid players in the game, with a reputed salary of 31 million euros at Juventus before taking a pay reduction to rejoin United.
Ronaldo has five Champions League titles (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018), Italian league titles (2019, 2020) with Juventus, Spanish league titles (2012, 2017) with Real Madrid, and English league titles (2007, 2008, 2009) with Manchester United.
He is also the Champions League and Portuguese national team best scorer, with whom he won Euro 2016.
With his penalty in the group-stage win over Ghana in Qatar, he became the first man to score in five World Cups.
