Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced to the public in his new club on Tuesday. Thousands of people had gathered at Al-Nassr’s home stadium, and the familiar confident Ronaldo was seen at the press conference.
4.1. 23:11•Updated 4.1. 23:35
Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was presented in the colors of his new club Al-Nassr on Tuesday. The superstar had a press conference and a Player Presentation at the team’s 25,000-seat home stadium. Ronaldo previously signed a 2.5-year contract with the club worth more than 200 million euros, according to sources.
Ronaldo’s typical confident and direct statements were heard at the press conference. Among other things, he said that he had received offers from several European clubs as well as from Brazil and the United States. However, according to his own words, the striker had done his job in Europe, broken records and now it was time for a new challenge.
Ronaldo’s contract with Saudi Arabia, which has garnered criticism for its human rights violations, has garnered widespread negative reactions. Ronaldo commented on the special quality of the contract and the criticism he received by saying that he is a special player for whom all of this is normal.
Read more: Why did Cristiano Ronaldo choose Saudi Arabia? The court decision raised fierce criticism – “Sad decision for a career”
At the press conference, Ronaldo mentioned that he came to South Africa instead of Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese emphasized the competitiveness of the local series, which he had noted after watching several matches. The attacking star emphasized that the football world has changed and the level has expanded in recent years, which was demonstrated in the World Cup that ended in December. According to him, for example, South Korea and African countries surprised many opponents in the games won by Argentina.
The 37-year-old striker moved to Al-Nassr from Manchester United, where he and the club finally went on a crash course before the November-December World Cup break. In Portugal’s World Cup team, Ronaldo was no longer a sure starting lineup player like in previous years, but he came on the field as a substitute in, for example, Portugal’s 0–1 quarter-final loss against Morocco, which ended the tournament.
If Ronaldo’s career in Europe ended with the Al-Nassr transfer, his greatest achievements would remain five Champions League victories and a total of seven major league championships in different countries. He has been chosen as the European Footballer of the Year or the winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or a total of five times. He is also the all-time top scorer in the Champions League and Real Madrid.