Posted on 11/30/2022 10:27:58 AM PST by nickcarraway
Cristiano Ronaldo has a lucrative offer to move to Saudi Arabia on the table after his departure from Manchester United, but the Portugal forward is set to wait until after the World Cup before deciding on his next move, sources have told ESPN.
Al-Nassr are willing to offer him a 3½-year contract worth more than $119 million (£100m) a year.
Sources have also told ESPN that as part of the agreement, Al-Nassr have indicated they would be willing to compensate Ronaldo for the wages he would have earned had he seen out the last six months of his contract at Man United -- around $19m (£16m).
Ronaldo, 37, has asked his representatives to be kept out of negotiations over his future in club football while he is in Qatar, but sources have told ESPN that talks over a move to Al-Nassr have taken place.
The Portugal captain left Old Trafford without a payoff after agreeing a "mutual" termination of his contract following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan during which he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, are hopeful that Ronaldo's presence in their domestic league would help a bid to host the 2030 World Cup and would be keen for the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward to work as an ambassador for the country.
Ronaldo is still open to the idea of staying in Europe and will wait for a clearer picture about which clubs are interested before making a final decision on his future.
Portugal play their final Group H game against South Korea on Friday. They have already qualified for the knockout rounds and will face a team from Group G -- one of Brazil, Cameroon, Switzerland or Serbia -- in the last 16 next week.
Sources have told ESPN that Portugal are monitoring Ronaldo's fitness ahead of the game against South Korea after he picked up a foot injury during the 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday.
I would think the Saudi League is equivalent to Double-A baseball in soccer terms. Sure they have money to throw around, but any good player wants to be in the EPL, or La Liga, or the Bundesleague. Much better exposure. Who cares if Riyadh beats Dhahran?! As for his future in Europe, he is 37 and nothing can change that. He could probably get a small fortune from an MLS team though.
It seems like the Saudi League is worse than Double-A. A lot of players in Double-A make or almost make MLB. Is that true of Saudi League?
And for whatever reasons, the Saudis are treated as pariahs here in Western media, whereas the CCP, guilty of much more egregious human rights violations on a daily basis, gets a free pass. So he would have to be prepared for some scathing criticism from TPTB. Maybe he doesn’t give a damn I don’t know....
You got me.....
Ronaldo is very fit for his age. He could play in the MLS for several years.
Jaromir Jagr?
Gordie Howe played until age 51.
The retired NHL player?…
He isn’t playing hockey now?
Yeah... the guy seemed to play forever. Maybe he’s still playing somewhere in Europe.
Hockey has shifts, and N=1 is meaningless statistically speaking.
It’s like using Usain Bolt as an average T&F guy, or Nikola Tesla as a typical EE.
Don’t know just making a joke....
He and Lemieux were awesome on video games.
Take the money?
In 2022, he makes roughly $60 million on field and $55 million off field, for a total compensation around $115 million per year. I doubt he'll take the Saudi offer as it's a garbage league and he doesn't need the money ($500 million net worth). He can probably get near the same again in Europe, although none of the big teams are willing to offer him a large contract at his advanced playing age and the disruptions it can cause their team (he can't even get into the Manchester United starting 11). Potential move to the US' MLS league, although there'd need to be a LARGE off-field package. Lionel Messi, the other world great, is also rumored to be heading to MLS to play for Inter Miami.
So, $350 million is 70% of his current net worth. That’s not nothing.
He is currently dead, perhaps we should self identify as Gordie Howe and demand back pay or something.
Jaromir Jagr is not dead. Just living in Czech Republic.
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