FOOTBALL – CRISTIANO Ronaldo has signed a two-year contract extension with Al Nassr, the Saudi Pro League side said yesterday, which will keep the Portugal forward at the club past his 42nd birthday.
Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in 2022 after leaving Manchester United to become a free agent, has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for them in all competitions.
“A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together,” Ronaldo said in a post on X.
Ronaldo arrived in Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract soon after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
That made him the highest-paid athlete in the world and he has topped the list for the last three years, according to the Forbes.
At the age of 40, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s estimated total earnings are around $275 million.
He has shown few signs of slowing down, with the forward leading Portugal to a second Uefa Nations League title this month when they beat neighbours Spain in the final.
Ronaldo is also eyeing the 1,000-goal milestone in his career. He has scored 794 goals in club football and 138 for Portugal to take his tally to 932.
His arrival in Saudi Arabia opened the floodgates for several high-profile players based in Europe to make the switch to the SPL, such as Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.
Although Ronaldo has won the Arab Club Champions Cup with Al Nassr, he has been unable to guide them to the SPL title, with their best finish being runners-up in 2022-23 and 2023-24. They finished third last season.
According to the BBC, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
It remains to be seen who will be leading the first team at Al Nassr going forward, after former AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli left the club this week.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.
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