Touted as one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the sport, the 37 year old appears to have now signified his decline, after joining Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr on a two year contract.
The all-time Portuguese top goal scorer has agreed a lucrative contract ,to move to the capital Riyadh, including a total salary of £177m a year, which is the highest salary ever paid to a footballer.
Ronaldo, has endured a torrid end to 2022, starting with the deterioration of relationships at Manchester United, as a result of the arrival of new manager Erik Ten Hag. The four time Ballon D'or winner only started four Premier League games this season and has faced heavy scrutiny for his conduct on and off the field.
In October he stormed out of Old Trafford in the 87 minute, as a result of not being substituted on, and he has faced a growing divide between himself and his teammates in the past four months. The crescendo, was his explosive television interview with Piers Morgan, where he slated the structure and ownership of Manchester United and even condoned certain individuals behaviour, as well as critiscing his former teammates.
On November 22nd his highly anticipated return to Old Trafford was ended prematurely in harrowing fashion, as the club announced they had terminated his £500,000 a week contract. This was as a result of the former Real Madrid player breaching his contract and publicly exposing private information on the club and his manager.
His decorative career appears to have rapidly escalated into uncontrollable chaos, he went from a icon eulogised by football fans, to a free agent branded finished and incapable. The 2022 World Cup which Ronaldo hailed as his last dance with his country, did not finish as expected as he bowed out in the Round of 16, after making just three starts in five games.
What does this move mean?
While many recognise leaving Europe, the best leagues and competitions in the world, as the end of Cristiano Ronaldo at the top level competitively, it could be just what the veteran needs.
Nobody should forget that Cristiano Ronaldo has played at the top echelons of football for 21 years, in which he has become the focal point of a very big spotlight, where everything he does and how he performs has been analysed. It almost feels that because of Ronaldo's ego and his insane demands he puts on himself, that it was inevitable that eventually it would all become too much and implode.
Perhaps a move to Saudi Arabia, allows him to escape the constant pressure and instead reflect on what went wrong at Manchester United as well as re-invent himself. We have to remember that consigning yourself to America or the Middle East does not definitely mean that your career is finished. Zlatan Ibrahimović returned to AC Milan at the ripe age of 39 and has since won the Serie A, played in the Champions league and is still going strong at 41.
In June 2025, Ronaldo will be 40 but if he still possesses the drive and motivation a return to Europe, most probably his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, could still be on the cards. He has impeccable fitness and discipline, so as long as his enjoyment and hunger remains in the Sport he could break barriers and continue long into his forties.
Nevertheless, it is surprising that the five time Champions League winner has decided at this point in his career to venture to Saudi Arabia. It is clearly a move fuelled by money and promotion, where the billionaire will have been interested in the endorsements and publicity he will gain from the move. He represents the first superstar of what is hoped to be many to use Saudi Arabia as a retirement home, just like America has been for the past decade.
Why did Ronaldo have so few options?
In the summer, it was apparent Manchester United's top goal scorer for 2021-22, was eager to leave the club. Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, Sporting, Bayern Munich among a host of other huge clubs were linked with the striker, but quickly his options disappeared and it became more and more likely that he wouldn't be joining a top team.
Similarly, when he began a free agent in November it always seemed to be pointing towards Al Nassr, as the likes of Chelsea and Napoli backed away from a deal. The reason was his conduct, many teams were deterred by his negative impact on the team at Manchester United and his outspoken betrayal on the clubs owners.
Ultimately, Cristiano Ronaldo decided his own future through his refusal to take a severe wage cut it was this selfishness and materialism that meant only the riches of oil money in the Middle East could afford the risk of the superstar.
It almost certain that the serial champion will score goals for fun at Al Nassr, as he will form a unlikely partnership with Vincent Aboubakar upfront. We could still see the 2016 Euro winner on the global stage, as he is yet to hang up his boots for Portugal and Al Nassr will compete in the Club World Cup recently won by the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in recent years.
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