Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on a sensational £175million-a-year contract following his tumultuous exit from Manchester United in November.
Ronaldo, 37, had been a free agent after leaving United in the wake of his damning and controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
And Al-Nassr have now confirmed Ronaldo has put pen to paper, with reports in Saudi Arabia stating he has signed on a two-year deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) has signed for Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United on a free
The Portuguese forward, 37, has reportedly agreed a two-year deal with the Saudi Arabian side
Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract at Man United was terminated by mutual consent in December
The Saudi Pro League club announced his arrival in a tweet saying: ‘The world’s greatest athlete officially signed for Al-Nassr’.
His decision to move to Saudi Arabia effectively ends his career at the top level. It is thought Ronaldo had been hoping to secure a switch to a Champions League club but it never materialised.
Part of his role as an ambassador will be to help Saudi Arabia’s joint bid with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup, it has been claimed.
He joins arch rival Lionel Messi in taking up a promotional position with the gulf nation, which has faced criticism for its human rights record, as well as crackdowns on women’s rights activists, LGBTQ+ people and those who speak out against the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This move came just days after Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV
Ronaldo had initially dismissed reports that he was set to sign for the Saudi outfit, with sources close to the player telling Sportsmail it was ‘nonsense’ that a deal had been signed.
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.
Ronaldo had admitted rumours of a €350m (£310m) offer for two seasons from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club in the summer were true – an offer he had declined.
Ronaldo had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli after stunning United officials by telling the club he wanted out in the summer transfer window.
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi, having won the Saudi league nine times
Ronaldo said in his interview with Morgan that he has no respect for United boss…