SOCCER
Cristiano Ronaldo’s €500 million deal
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a seven-year contract with Saudi club Al Nassr which extends beyond the end of his playing career.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr contract is a watershed in sport. No sportsman or sportsman in history has ever earned anything like what the Saudi Pro League club have agreed to pay the Portuguese superstar. AS has learned that Ronaldo will receive a net salary of €500 million over the next seven years, which includes a playing contract until 2025, when he will be 40 years old, and then a contract as a sports adviser. Eye-watering numbers that have never been seen before in soccer or indeed sport.
When will Cristiano Ronaldo be officially unveiled as an Al Nassr player?
Ronaldo will arrive in Riyadh on Monday and will be unveiled as an Al Nassr player at his new club’s Mrsool Park on Tuesday, with a huge crowd expected to welcome him at 11:00 ET / 8:00 PT. “See you soon, Nassr fans,” Ronaldo said from his private plane before jetting off for the Saudi Arabian capital. After his controversial departure from Manchester United, the Portugal captain is thought to be excited by the prospect of taking on a challenge which bears little (or no) resemblance to anything that he has experienced in his career so far.
And the former Real Madrid star’s role at Al Nassr will be more than just on the field. His international stardom and standing in the sport means he will be a figurehead for the club, as well as an ambassador Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2030 World Cup, which will go up against a joint bid from Spain and his native Portugal. In addition, the contract signed by the Portuguese star gives him a series of perks in addition to his frankly unbelievable salary, which range from being able to take advantage of first-class services to a luxury home in Riyadh.
Read more: Did Ronaldo steal the number 7 shirt from a teammate? Did the player have to retire?
Which other big names could join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr?
Al Nassr announced the signing of the 37-year-old on 30 December. Since then, the buzz surrounding his arrival around the globe has completely changed the face of the club. The sale of shirts with Ronaldo’s name on the back, and the boost that his signing will give the Saudi Pro League, signals that the revolution is well underway. Al Nassr aren’t prepared to stop there and are looking to strengthen their roster with yet more big names, with talk that Sergio Ramos could join his former Real Madrid teammate, now officially the best-paid sportsman of all time.