Former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been officially presented to fans by Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr player at the Mrsool Park.
The packed, 25,000-capacity stadium erupted when Ronaldo, dressed in Al Nassr’s yellow and blue kit, walked on the pitch, saluting the crowd as fireworks and floodlights flashed around him.
The Portuguese captain joined the asian club a few days back as a free agent after termination of the contarct with Manchester United just days before the world cup commenced.
The five time Ballon d’Or winner, with five Champions League titles to his name, signed for an estimated 200 million euros ($211m) until June 2025.
“It’s not the end of my career to come to Saudi Arabia. This is why I change and, to be honest, I’m really not worried about what people say,” Ronaldo said.
“In Europe my work is done… I had many offers in Europe, many in Brazil, Australia, the US, even in Portugal,” he added. “Many clubs tried to sign me but I gave my word to this club.”
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said the signing of Ronaldo was a huge step for the Saudi Arabian league.
“In my life, I’ve seen that great players like Cristiano are the simplest to manage, because there’s nothing I can teach him,” Garcia told reporters.
”Like he said, we are here to win, nothing else. I want him to enjoy playing with Al Nassr and winning with Al Nassr, just that,” he addd.