A year ago
Cristiano Ronaldo was the only unattached player at the 2022 World Cup.
Saudi fans react to Cristiano Ronaldo news
Cristiano Ronaldo may face a serious conflict of interest if he accepts Al-lucrative Nassr's £173 million-per-year contract offer after leaving Manchester United. Becoming the face of Saudi Arabian football will allegedly involve the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in their 2030 World Cup bid, which may have ramifications at home.In the run-up to Qatar, Ronaldo dominated headlines after lashing out at Manchester United and Erik ten Hag in a heated interview with TalkTV host Piers Morgan. Among a slew of perplexing remarks, he claimed that he and Ten Hag had no respect for one another.
Days later, the Red Devils announced that Ronaldo's contract had been mutually terminated, making him the World Cup's only unattached player. With Al-Nassr rejecting a lucrative wage offer, Saudi Arabia appears to be his most likely destination at club level.According to The Daily Mail, accepting the offer would put him in direct competition with Portugal, which is part of a separate joint-bid with Spain for the 2030 World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Adding clout to the Saudi effort could raise serious concerns in Ronaldo's homeland. Long-time rival Lionel Messi has a tourism agreement with the Middle Eastern country, but because Argentina is part of their joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, he has been given permission to distance himself from that aspect of the job.
Ronaldo, who has 118 goals in 196 appearances for Portugal, hoped to cap off his international career with a World Cup victory in Qatar, but Fernando Santos' side were spectacularly defeated in the quarter-finals by giant killers Morocco.It is unclear whether the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward will accept Al-lucrative Nassr's offer. Musalli Al Muammar, the club's president, recently told SSC Sports: "Cristiano was recently preoccupied with the World Cup, so I didn't expect him to bargain with anyone. We won't discuss other players, but I wish Cristiano the best of luck with his decision."
Ronaldo reportedly asked to leave United during the summer, but he stayed due to a lack of interest from Champions League clubs. A similar enticing offer from the Middle East was made, but the 37-year-old indicated that he had more to offer at the highest level."It's difficult. It's difficult. However, I thought I was very happy here; that I [am] still capable of scoring goals and making people happy "He stated on Talk TV. "I still believe I can score a lot of goals and help the team because I believe I'm still good and capable of helping the national team and even Manchester United.
"But it's difficult if you don't feel like the energy is on your side. Of course, there will be criticism at all times. 'Ah, he's 37, he's not the same anymore,' says the narrator. But I'm curious to see if a guy my age can maintain the level that I do. You're not going to teach that to me. Nobody is leaving.
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