Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for a record 1,770 crore deal

Cristiano Ronaldo  signed for Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, the club announced, in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros.

The 37-year-old penned a contract which will take him to June 2025. Ronaldo's contract with his former club Manchester United was ended mutually after the Portugal star took jibes at the club, its owners and manager Erik ten Hag in an explosive television interview in November.

While Al Nassr did not disclose the financial deal, news agency Reuters said that reports suggested Ronaldo's contract is worth "over 200 million euros (USD 214.04 million).

The Saudi club took to Twitter to officially announce Ronaldo's arrival, who has previously played for Portugal's Sporting CP and Serie A giants Juventus in addition to Real Madrid and Manchester United. His deal with Al-Nassr will be valid until June 2025.

I can't wait to discover a new football league in a different country, Ronaldo said. The vision with which Al Nassr operates is very inspiring, and I am delighted to join my teammates so that together we can help the team achieve greater success, he added. Al Nassr have won nine Saudi Arabian League titles, the last in 2019.

Ronaldo hinted he would continue playing for Portugal despite the early exit at the World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo, 37, is unlikely to stay on and play international football until the next World Cup in 2026. Notably, Ronaldo was benched for Portugal's knockout matches by Fernando Santos, who quit after their quarter-final exit.

History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFCpic.twitter.com/oan7nu8NWC

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 30, 2022