Al Nassr is positive that Cristiano Ronaldo will finish his career with the Saudi Pro League club and has not ruled out extending the striker’s enormous deal as per ESPN.
Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Ettifaq marked Ronaldo’s debut for Al Nassr. After leaving Manchester United in December, he agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract worth USD 200 million annually with the team based in Riyadh. When his contract expires in 2025, the Portuguese superstar will be 40, and Al Nassr management thinks it is improbable that he will play elsewhere before hanging up his boots.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN, Al Nassr has not ruled out giving Ronaldo an extension on his contract if he wants to keep playing.
Ronaldo is also being utilised by Al Nassr to assist with their off-field development. According to sources speaking to ESPN, Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia with a list of “best practises” that club administrators are attempting to put into action.
According to ESPN sources, Al Nassr is adamant about using Ronaldo’s expertise playing at the top level of European football with United, Real Madrid, and Juventus to establish themselves as a Saudi and Asian football powerhouse. Although Ronaldo was unable to score on his Al Nassr debut against Ettifaq, manager Rudi Garcia expressed his appreciation for the forward’s performance as his team regained first place in the Saudi Pro League.
After only a few weeks of training, the former Roma manager emphasised that it would take time to fully integrate Ronaldo into the club.
“I told the players they need to make the right choices on the pitch. Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo is asking for the ball and we have to give him the ball because he’s a player who can make a difference. We need to work a lot on the positions of everyone. Sometimes we had crosses but not enough people in the box. We need to work on that,” Garcia said as quoted by ESPN.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Pro League has named Garry Cook, a former chief executive of Manchester City, as its new executive president.
Cook worked with the UFC after his tenure as City’s CEO from 2008 until 2011.