– Either you die a hero or you live long enough to become a villain.
by Aaron Eckhart performed by Kaksinaamaa’s line from the movie Knight of the Night aptly describes the superstar Cristiano Ronaldo latest career twists.
Among other things, Ronaldo, 37, who won five Champions Leagues and the Ballon d’Or, left Manchester United in November. At the World Cup in Qatar, the Portuguese annoyed himself into the role of a substitute player.
On Friday, it was announced that “CR7” will continue his career in the Al-Nassri team of Saudi Arabia, a league known for human rights violations. The long-speculated move has, after it has come to fruition, aroused widespread criticism in Europe.
– Personal loss. Ronaldo has brought his career to a sad, embarrassing and undignified end, NRK title (you switch to another service).
Also a British football commentator and former top player Jamie Carragher’s according to the transfer is a sad decision for Ronaldo’s career, which seems to remain the archenemy in the end Lionel Messi’s into the shade.
– Ronaldo ended his career Piers Morgan in an interview (you move to another service). Messi, on the other hand, won the world championship. Not the most elegant possible ending for Ronaldo, Carragher commented Sky Sports (you switch to another service) by.
– I think the transfer tarnishes Ronaldo’s story. However, we are talking about the best player in the world. He was never thought to play in a team like Al-Nassr, a Portuguese football expert Pedro Sepulveda said.
Why Al-Nassr?
Still in September, Ronaldo rejected (you switch to another service) the 242 million euro offer of another Saudi team, Al-Hilal. In 2015, Ronaldo believed he would finish his career in a league tougher than Saudi Arabia.
– I want to finish at the top level with dignity and in a good team. I don’t see myself playing in the USA, Qatar or Dubai, Ronaldo said by Jonathan Ross in an interview (you move to another service).
During the World Cup, Ronaldo’s camp systematically denied the Al-Nassr rumors.
The striker, who had missed goal-scoring responsibility and a place in the Champions League, finally turned his sled. Ronaldo is taking a sporting step back to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi capital Riyadh on a free transfer. Ronaldo’s contract runs until 2025.
Ronaldo didn’t have much choice after the diva at the end of the year. As you know, few big European clubs were willing to attach a star with a big ego to their ranks.
– This is the price of being forced to leave Manchester United and being angry at the World Cup. There were no more meetings with the top teams, because a player who is bad for the team’s atmosphere is not suitable for their projects. In the end, only Al-Nassr’s offer remained, Pedro Sepulveda said.
– Maybe the European team he wanted didn’t come and this was the only option. Sad because we probably won’t see Ronaldo play at the top level again, the former Manchester United icon Gary Neville inch.
Spanish newspaper Marca says (you switch to another service), that Ronaldo waited until the last moment for a contract offer from his former club Real Madrid, with whom he won the Champions League four times. However, the offer never came.
However, at least one option was apparently on the table. Football reporter Fabrizio Romano according to MLS league Sporting Kansas City also made an offer to Ronaldo, which the Portuguese star ultimately did not accept.
According to Romano, Ronaldo’s annual salary at Al-Nassr is at least 83 million euros. However, Maalittik’s annual earnings can reach almost 200 million euros. That would make him the highest paid footballer in the world.
According to financial magazine Forbes, the salary king of the sport, the PSG star Kylian Mbappé Earns about 120 million from the current season.
Rejoicing in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the news of Ronaldo’s arrival has been received with joy. Shirts with the name of the star player are already going to hot stones in Riyadh.
A longtime supporter of Al-Nassr Ashraf Ailhammad hoped the contract would bring success to the team
– This is the largest agreement in history at the level of Saudi Arabia and an Arab state, Ailhammad said in a Reuters video.
Al-Nassr women’s basketball team Zainab Yossif According to him, getting Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia is a big leap for the country’s sports.
– Not only in football, but also in all other sports. As athletes, we usually travel abroad to get these experiences. Having that kind of experience here is a change that will improve our players overall.
– This agreement will inspire not only our club to achieve even greater success, but our entire league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls, to be the best versions of themselves, Al-Nassri’s team enthused in their release on Friday.
Ronaldo and Messi found each other
According to media reports, Ronaldo will act as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia after his player contract. The country, which aims for the 2030 World Cup together with Greece and Egypt, has become strongly involved in the sports world in recent years.
The Saudi investment company owns, for example, Newcastle United, which has become the top team in the Premier League.
– The move shows how seriously Saudi Arabia takes football. They’re not going anywhere. They are trying to strengthen their streak, Gary Neville said.
Saudi Arabia, which makes money with its oil reserves, has been accused of sports laundering, i.e. polishing its brand with the help of sports investments. The country has enough things that it wants to divert attention from.
The death penalty is used in Saudi Arabia, which is used diligently. The freedom of speech situation is weak and the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman suspected journalist Jamal Khashoggi of brutal murder.
Another superstar of our time, Messi, has also recently made a deal with Saudi Arabia. The recent World Championship gold medalist acts as the country’s tourism ambassador.
In the Spanish La Liga, the greats who clashed their horns for years finally ended up in the same team.