Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Questions swirled over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, hours after the superstar indicated he might be leaving Al Nassr in a social media post, just hours following the end of the Saudi Pro League season.
The 40-year-old Portuguese forward joined Al Nassr in 2022 from Manchester United and his contract with the Saudi club ends this summer.
A special transfer window runs from June 1-10 to allow the 32 clubs involved in the Club World Cup to sign players.
Al-Nassr are not at the Club World Cup unlike fellow Saudi side Al Hilal.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week said “there are discussions” over the former United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon star playing at the enlarged tournament in the United States starting on June 14.
“This chapter is over,” Ronaldo cryptically said on social media with a photo of him in an Al Nassr shirt.
“The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.”
– Top scorer –
Ronaldo’s potential exit from Saudi Arabia will likely raise fresh questions about how the Saudi Pro League would fare in his absence, with rumors already circulating of other ageing football stars eyeing opportunities in the kingdom.
On Monday, Simone Inzaghi played down rumors he is set to leave Inter Milan after the Champions League final amid widespread reports of interest from Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
Ronaldo’s announcement comes just months after Brazilian star Neymar ended his injury-plagued 18 month stay in the kingdom, where he played just seven times with Al Hilal after joining the club in August 2023 — despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year.
The cryptic post from Ronaldo comes after Al Nassr lost in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League last month to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale and finished third in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo was the league’s top goal scorer on 25.
Last year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career with Al Nassr.
Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi will play at the Club World Cup with Inter Miami.
During a recent interview with YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed, Infantino said: “And Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well at the Club World Cup.
“There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup… who knows, who knows.”
– Football frenzy –
Saudi Arabia has shaken up football by spending heavily on stars from Europe, starting with Ronaldo’s move in late 2022, and the desert nation will host the World Cup in 2034.
For nearly two years, Saudi football fans could watch the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, with six Ballons d’Or between them, on any given weekend during the football season in the kingdom.
However, the oil-fueled Saudi football project has drawn comparisons with the Chinese Super League, which imported players on exorbitant salaries until team owners went bust as the Chinese economy fizzled.
But with Saudi Arabia set to host the 2034 World Cup, and desperate to re-model itself as a tourism and business magnet before global oil demand falls for good, there is probably more to come from the Pro League.
The Portuguese great appeared to trade an end-of-career payday for football obscurity when he moved to Riyadh’s Al Nassr two years ago in a deal said to be worth $250 million.
But his influence became clear when he was followed by a parade of ageing superstars to the big-spending Saudi Pro League.
