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Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ronaldo declares 'Al Nassr forever' after signing a two-year deal to stay in Saudi Arabia
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] With the words 'Al Nassr forever' Cristiano Ronaldo ended uncertainty about his future and signed a two-year contract extension with the Saudi Arabian club on Thursday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's latest deal means he will play on until at least the age of 42 and gives him the chance to add to his record-breaking career. 'A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let's make history together,' Ronaldo said in a social media post along with a picture of him holding up a shirt that said 'Ronaldo 2027.' The contract sees Ronaldo extend his time in Saudi Arabia, having joined Al Nassr at the end of 2022 in one of the most shocking transfers in soccer history after leaving Manchester United. The deal was reportedly worth up to $200 million a year and led to a slew of top players, including Neymar and Karim Benzema , leaving Europe for the oil-rich kingdom. With his contract due to expire, the 40-year-old Ronaldo sparked uncertainty at the end of the Saudi season last month when he said the 'chapter is over.' But he ended speculation Thursday, saying 'Al Nassr forever' in the club's announcement. The deal is evidence the former Real Madrid forward wants to achieve more. The move to a less-challenging league has also not hindered his standing with his national team. The five-time Champions League winner has won 28 major trophies with club and country and just helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League title. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with 141 goals. The World Cup is the only major honor missing from his resume and he may get one last chance to lift soccer's grandest prize at next year's tournament. Despite helping to raise the profile of Saudi Arabian soccer and scoring 77 goals in 74 league appearances, Ronaldo has found trophies hard to come by at Al Nassr. His one so far was the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. He is yet to win the Saudi Pro League in three attempts. Still, his latest deal was hailed by the club, which posted a video of him walking on a beach with the caption 'The Story continues..' along with emojis of a goat and a gold heart. Ronaldo is considered by many to be soccer's greatest of all time, a term often abbreviated as 'GOAT.' He and Lionel Messi have had a years-long rivalry as the two finest players of their generation, with the duel reaching its peak when they played for Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. The intensity of the rivalry has diminished in recent years as both players have entered the latter stages of their careers and are playing in less heralded leagues, with Messi joining MLS team Inter Miami in 2023. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ronaldo declares 'Al Nassr forever' after signing a two-year deal to stay in Saudi Arabia
With the words 'Al Nassr forever' Cristiano Ronaldo ended uncertainty about his future and signed a two-year contract extension with the Saudi Arabian club on Thursday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's latest deal means he will play on until at least the age of 42 and gives him the chance to add to his record-breaking career.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Ronaldo declares ‘Al Nassr forever' after signing a two-year deal to stay in Saudi Arabia
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after winning the Nations League soccer championship at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) With the words 'Al Nassr forever' Cristiano Ronaldo ended uncertainty about his future and signed a two-year contract extension with the Saudi Arabian club on Thursday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's latest deal means he will play on until at least the age of 42 and gives him the chance to add to his record-breaking career. 'A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let's make history together,' Ronaldo said in a social media post along with a picture of him holding up a shirt that said 'Ronaldo 2027.' The contract sees Ronaldo extend his time in Saudi Arabia, having joined Al Nassr at the end of 2022 in one of the most shocking transfers in soccer history after leaving Manchester United. The deal was reportedly worth up to $200 million a year and led to a slew of top players, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, leaving Europe for the oil-rich kingdom. With his contract due to expire, the 40-year-old Ronaldo sparked uncertainty at the end of the Saudi season last month when he said the 'chapter is over.' But he ended speculation Thursday, saying 'Al Nassr forever' in the club's announcement. The deal is evidence the former Real Madrid forward wants to achieve more. The move to a less-challenging league has also not hindered his standing with his national team. The five-time Champions League winner has won 28 major trophies with club and country and just helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League title. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with 141 goals. The World Cup is the only major honor missing from his resume and he may get one last chance to lift soccer's grandest prize at next year's tournament. Despite helping to raise the profile of Saudi Arabian soccer and scoring 77 goals in 74 league appearances, Ronaldo has found trophies hard to come by at Al Nassr. His one so far was the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. He is yet to win the Saudi Pro League in three attempts. Still, his latest deal was hailed by the club, which posted a video of him walking on a beach with the caption 'The Story continues..' along with emojis of a goat and a gold heart. Ronaldo is considered by many to be soccer's greatest of all time, a term often abbreviated as 'GOAT.' He and Lionel Messi have had a years-long rivalry as the two finest players of their generation, with the duel reaching its peak when they played for Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. The intensity of the rivalry has diminished in recent years as both players have entered the latter stages of their careers and are playing in less heralded leagues, with Messi joining MLS team Inter Miami in 2023. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer: James Robson, The Associated Press
Arabian Business
2 days ago
- Sport
- Arabian Business
Ronaldo reportedly close to extending his stay in Saudi Arabia by two years
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr are said to be close to agreeing on a new contract that will see the Portugal superstar extend his stay in Saudi Arabia for another two years. Various news outlets in the UK reported that a deal could be announced soon. However, both Ronaldo and Al Nassr are yet to confirm the development. The 40-year-old Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, joined Al Nassr in January 2023 and is out of contract at the end of this month. Ronaldo to reportedly extend stay in Saudi Arabia Sky Sports said the ex-Manchester United forward believes his recent performances and goals for Portugal when they won the Nations League prove that another season will keep him in good condition for the World Cup next summer. Reporting from the Club World Cup, the channel's chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol said: 'I'm here at the Club World Cup, and there was lots of talk over the past few months about the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo playing in this tournament because his great rival Lionel Messi is playing here for Inter Miami. 'Al Nassr have not qualified for the Club World Cup, but there was that early transfer window when Ronaldo could have moved to another club. He had offers, but he decided not to accept any of them. I think he wanted to stay loyal to Al Nassr and he will be extending his contract. 'One other thing he's very focused on is ending his career having scored 1,000 goals. He's currently on 938 and who would bet against him scoring another 62 for club and country before he retires?' Ronaldo has scored 99 times in 111 games for Al Nassr in the last two seasons, but his individual contributions have not led to team success. Despite splashing millions of dollars on Ronaldo, the Riyadh club finished third in the Saudi Professional League at the end of the recently completed season.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pep Guardiola issues 'niggles' update on Rodri as recovery continues from knee injury
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued further encouragement concerning the ongoing recovery of Rodri at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. The Spain international and the current holder of the Ballon d'Or award is firmly into the final stretch of his long-standing recovery process from the serious injury that ruled him out of the majority of the last campaign. Advertisement Sustaining a double knee injury and ACL damage during last season's 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in September, follow-up surgery and rehabilitation saw Rodri sidelined until the end of May. But having further stepped up his recovery and competitive action on the pitch at this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, there is a strong hope that the 29-year-old can enter into the 2025/26 European season ready to start matches once again for Manchester City. Before then, the defensive midfielder will look to increase his time spent on the pitch for Pep Guardiola at the Club World Cup, having registered around 70 minutes of action combined against Wydad AC and Al Ain in the first contests of the tournament. Now, speaking to reporters ahead of Manchester City's final group stage game of the tournament, manager Guardiola has issued the latest on the recovering Rodri after another appearance on the pitch for the club last time out. Advertisement 'Rodri can play, cannot play; of course, he's not ready for 90 minutes but he played the last game 30 minutes, 35 minutes,' Guardiola told reporters. 'So he's making steps forward,' he continued. 'In the last three or four days he didn't have some, not problems, niggles that sometimes you have. 'But he's happy that we can add minutes to him.' Following the latest comments from the Manchester City manager, it appears as though the Spain international will once again not start in the club's important encounter against Juventus this week, despite a win needed for top spot in the group. As such, the Catalan head coach could turn towards a range of options for the deep-lying midfield role, including their new signing Tijjani Reijnders – who excelled in his full debut for the club on matchday one against Wydad AC. Other options could also include January recruit Nico Gonzalez, or more seasoned options such as Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, both of whom have already been called upon at this summer's tournament.
