Al Nassr – All You Need To Know About Saudi Arabian Football Club Who Signed Cristiano Ronaldo

New Delhi: Cristiano Ronaldo completed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in a deal that is a landmark moment for Middle Eastern football but will see one of Europe’s biggest stars disappear from the sport’s elite stage.

Ronaldo signed a deal with Al Nassr that would see him at the club until June 2025 and also gives the 37-year-old a massive payday in what could be his final contract of his footballing career.

Media reports have claimed the Ronaldo could be earning up to USD 200 million a year from the deal, which would make him the highest-paid footballer in history. He is coming after a disappointing World Cup where he was benched in the knockout rounds and left the field in tears after Portugal lost in the quarterfinals to Morocco.

Ronaldo had been a free agent after his contract was terminated by Manchester United following an explosive TV interview in which he criticised manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners after having been repeatedly benched and even temporarily suspended by the club.

Let’s Get To Know Al Nassr Better..

History

#Al Nassr are a top-division Saudi Arabian football club and is based in the capital of Riyadh. The team plays on Saudi Professional League (SPL. They play their home games at Mrsool Park.

#Al Nassr are a nine-time champions of SPL, the second-most successful side in the league. They last won the league in 2018-19 season. Al Hilal top the stable woth 18 titles.

#Al Nassr has also won King’s Cup (country’s knockout cup) six times, most recently in 1990.

#SPL’s all-time top-scorer Majed Abdullah had played for Al Nassr. The former Saudi Arabia international scored 189 goals in the league.

#Al Nassr’s finished AFC Champions League runners-up in 1995, their best show in the competition so far.

Al Nassr In Current SPL Season

#With seven wins, two draws and a loss out of 10 games, Al Nassr is currently sitting second in the SPL this season. They will qualify for the 2023-24 AFC Champions League directly if they finish within top two of the league.

Al Nassr Squad

#Former Lille, AS Roma, Marseille and Lyon coach Rudi Garcia is currently the head coach of Al Nassr. He is in charge since June.

#Cameroon’s World Cup hero Vincent Aboubakar, who scored to stun Brazil in the group stages, is in the squad.

#Former Arsenal and Napoli goalkeeper and Colombian national David Ospina is in the squad as well as former Brazil international and midfielder Luiz Gustavo.