Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Al Nassr following exit from Manchester United

Al Nassr have confirmed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer.

The 37-year-old has signed a contract believed to be worth around £200 million a season.

Ronaldo will then continue to work as an ambassador for Saudi Arabian football.

“History in the making,” the club said in a statement on social media. “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristiano to your new home.”

The Portugal international had been free to look for a new club after he left Manchester United in the days before the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Ronaldo had given a controversial interview to Piers Morgan on British news channel GB News where he claimed he did not respect current United coach Erik ten Hag, and listed a number of perceived shortcomings in his treatment by the club.

Ronaldo had returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 from Juventus, but the club were unable to secure a Champions League place despite Ronaldo finishing at the side’s top goalscorer.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick midway through the season, before Ten Hag arrived. The Dutchman did not find a regular space for Ronaldo in his starting line-up, and dropped the striker after he refused to come on as a substitute during a Premier League match against Tottenham.

In the summer he had attempted to leave the club but was unable to find a team who were willing to take him on, with concerns over his suitability for top European sides, and his wage demands.

Ronaldo was also not named in the starting line-up for Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland during the World Cup. The exit from the World Cup allowed him to shift focus to finding a new club, and he will be playing his football in Saudi Arabia.

Following his departure from Old Trafford, he was once again linked to a number of sides in Europe, including Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli, Chelsea and his boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon.

However he has now decided to join the Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in what will likely be the last playing contract of his career. Ronaldo has 118 goals in 198 appearances for Portugal, and 701 goals in 951 club appearances. He has won the Premier League three times, La Liga twice, Serie A on two occasions and the Champions League five times.