Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Saudi Arabian side AI Nassr on a two-year deal, the striker became a free agent after his contract was mutually terminated by Manchester United.
The 37-year-old parted ways with the club, following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan which broke the internet, in which he said that he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect manager, Erik ten Hag. Speaking after his Old Trafford exit, he insisted that he will always love Manchester United and the fans and that will never change.
His contract will run until June 2025, with a total salary of £177m per year, which is thought to be the highest salary ever paid to a professional footballer.
“I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country. The vision of what AI Nassr are doing and developing in Saudi Arabia both in terms of men’s and women’s football is very inspiring”. Ronaldo continued. “We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at the World Cup that this is a country with big football ambitions and a lot of potential. I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them helping the club to achieve success.”
Ronaldo turned down an offer from another Saudi club, Al Hilal last summer, with the contract estimated to be worth roughly £370m a year. At that time of speculation, he chose to stay at Manchester United, in which he stated that he was happy there.