SOCCER

Who wants to sign free agent Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo had his contract at Manchester United terminated before the World Cup and looks to be on his way out of Europe.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRAAFP

Free agent Cristiano Ronaldo has been back training with Real Madrid the last two days after the termination of his Manchester United contract before the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Portuguese trained alone at Los Blancos’ Valdebebas trainng complex while he waits for his future to be resolved; it won’t be in the Spanish capital, with Ronaldo having left on Friday afternoon. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s dreams of winning a World Cup ended in tears last week and the 37-year-old must now face up his new reality: elite level clubs don’t want him. Madrid allowed him to use their training facilities as a favour but at the moment, no Champions League team is interested in signing him and the Middle East looks to be his most likely destination.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League career looks to be over

Initially, Ronaldo’s wish was to carry on playing in Europe and in the Champions League, which is the reason behind his summer transfer request at Manchester United, who had qualified for the Europa League. Half a season later, the Portugal captain’s market value has plummeted and still no ‘top’ team can see a place for him on their roster.

Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Chelsea showed interest in Ronaldo over the summer but opted not to follow through with it. Dortmund instead decided to sign Sébastian Haller, nine years Ronaldo’s junior. A move to Napoli always looked complicated as they would have had to sell Victor Osimhen: instead, they kept the Nigerian and signed Giovanni Simeone on loan on top of that. Chelsea were close to agreeing a deal for Ronaldo but then-manager Thomas Tuchel didn’t want him. Napoli in particular have proved that they probably made the right call, with Osimhen’s nine goals in 11 league matches firing them to the top of Serie A, while Simeone struck four times in five Champions League appearances as they finished first in their group.

What are Cristiano Ronaldo’s options?

As things stand, Ronaldo looks to have only two options: Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Saudi outfit Al Nassr offered the former Real Madrid star a three-year contract worth €225 million ($238.59 million) and a deal appeared close until Ronaldo himself denied it during the World Cup. A new offer has now arrived on the table from Qatar, with Al-Saad interested in teaming him up with players such as Santi Cazorla and André Ayew.

Although the Portuguese has ambitions of continuing to play at the very highest level, his options appear to be limited. European teams are not prepared to risk upsetting dressing-room harmony mid-season, while Ronaldo’s performances and lack of minutes in the first half of the season at Old Trafford have done little to convince the elite-level clubs that he’s worth forking out a small fortune for.

Most viewed

More news