Cristiano Ronaldo became a trailblazing figure when he left European shores to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr – but now, with the Portuguese talisman being 40 years of age, reports are suggesting that his future in the Middle East is in serious doubt.
Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and even footballing superstar Neymar are just a handful of the big-time names that followed in the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid talisman’s footsteps after he moved to Saudi Arabia in January 2023.
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The plan for Ronaldo – widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all time – was for him to spend his swansong at Al-Nassr, all while breaking the 1,000-goal mark. But reports have suggested his time may be cut short.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Future Hanging in the Balance
Portuguese talisman at the top of Saudi Pro League’s goalscoring charts
Ever since taking the leap two-and-a-half years ago, Ronaldo has been his potent self in front of goal, scoring goals as if they are going out of fashion. In fact, the seasoned forward has notched 91 goals and a further 19 assists in 103 outings.
As things stand, Madeira-born Ronaldo has just two months remaining on his current deal in the Saudi capital – and, naturally, there are doubts over whether the club’s higher-ups will offer him a new deal, according to Spanish publication Marca.
The report suggested that Ronaldo, 40, was poised to put pen to paper on a new two-year deal recently, but negotiations have stalled somewhat as the club struggle, despite having some of the winger-turned-striker’s capabilities leading the line, to win silverware.
After losing 3-2 to Al-Ittihad on Wednesday, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are not on course to qualify for the AFC Champions League and Ronaldo’s employers are reluctant to extend his stay at the club if they continue to get nothing (in terms of trophies) in return.
Following his side’s recent loss, which saw Al-Nassr give up a two-goal lead in the 94th minute, Ronaldo – in utter frustration at the result and, more importantly, the performance – reportedly left the stadium without even getting changed.
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His actions, however, have concerned the powers that be at the King Saud University Stadium – and in terms of a renewal, they are considering all options before offering the record-breaking frontman new terms on his hefty contract.
Moving to another club in Saudi Arabia has not been ruled out of the question as Al-Nassr are eager to add more trophies to their repertoire – and to make matters worse, they exited this season’s AFC Champions League at the hands of J-League side Kawasaki Frontale recently.
Ronaldo is ahead of the talismanic trio of Ivan Toney, Aleksandar Mitrovic and the aforementioned Benzema and currently top of the Saudi Pro League goal-getter charts – with 23 strikes in 28 outings – but Stefano Piolo’s side have struggled to keep pace.
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