Cristiano Ronaldo held talks with MLS clubs before choosing Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr as his next club

Cristiano Ronaldo held talks with multiple MLS clubs, before choosing to join Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, it has been revealed.

Even during the World Cup, a steady flow of reports emerged saying that the free agent forward would be joining the Saudi club on a huge contract, the terms of which varied according to the report but landed somewhere around £200 milion

According to ESPN, Ronaldo’s representatives held talks with a number of MLS clubs, including extensive discussions with Sporting Kansas City.

Club owner Robb Heineman retweeted Twellman’s report, seemingly confirming the accuracy of the story.

Sporting KC, who finished 12th in the Western Conference in 2022, had acquired Ronaldo’s “discovery rights” – a legal mechanism that exists within MLS to help govern transfers – and subsequently prepared a significant contract offer.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported similarly, adding that the talks began as far back as November, before the now-infamous Piers Morgan interview.

With Lionel Messi widely reported to be heading to MLS himself at some point in the next few years, Ronaldo’s rejection of Kansas City’s offer denied the world a potential rekindling of their storied rivalry.

Ronaldo’s decision has also upset some fans in the US who were hoping to get the chance to see the six-time Ballon d’Or winner play live.

Instead, Ronaldo opted for Al Nassr to presumably wind down his own glittering career.

After getting his first opportunities at Sporting Club in Portugal, Ronaldo headed to Manchester United where he became a global megastar. He won his first Ballon d’Or and European Cup with United, before making a world record switch to Real Madrid.

Ronaldo’s fierce rivalry with Barcelona counterpart Lionel Messi became the main event for the better part of a decade. Ronaldo won four more European Cups in Madrid before heading to Juventus for a brief stay.

After winning Serie A, Ronaldo headed for an emotional homecoming to Manchester United but difficulties at the club saw him released from his contract in November this year.

He had been reported to be desperate to find a club playing the Champions League in order to continue to improve his record as the tournament’s greatest goal scorer, but was unable to do so.

Part of Ronaldo’s deal with the Saudi Arabian club will be his role as an ambassador for the club and football in the country which is hoping to win the rights to host a World Cup in the coming years. Though yet unofficial, Ronaldo is rumoured to be set to play a role in Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the tournament in 2030.

Former Manchester United captain and Ronaldo’s ex-teammate Gary Neville criticised Ronaldo’s decision on Sky Sports. He said: “We’re going to see a lot less of him obviously. It tells us how serious Saudi Arabia are about football, they aren’t going to go away, they’re going for the World Cup, invested £350m in one player.

“They’re trying to strengthen the league. There’s an element of sadness for me because we’re not seeing Cristiano Ronaldo at the top level, something we could’ve seen at Old Trafford if things had of been dealt with properly but that had to come to an end and close before the World Cup. It’s been in an inevitability and Cristiano Ronaldo is going to see his career out in Saudi.”