Explained: Why Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Riyadh-based club Al Nassr? Everything you need to know

Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for a 2-1/2 year deal. This came after the 37-year-old forward's contract was terminated with Premier League club Manchester United. This is a landmark moment for Middle Eastern football as one of the biggest European sports stars will join the Riyadh-based club.

There was a lot of excitement in the Middle East, the Al Nassr club also expressed its excitement by posting a picture on social media with Ronaldo holding up the team's jersey. The deal between Ronaldo and the club is signed until June 2025, with the club hailing the move as "history in the making".

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The club wrote, "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".

What is the Al Nassr club's history?

The club was formed in 1995 in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. The club plays in the country's top division, the Sadi Professional League (SPL) which has a total of 18 teams. Al Nassr finished third last season with six points behind the Al Hilal club.

The league's all-time top scorer, Majed Abdullah played for Al Nassr and has scored a total of 189 goals, with an average of striking a goal per game. The club was the second-most successful team in the league with nine titles. Their last win was in the 2018-19 season, only Al Hilal has won more titles than Al Nassr. The club's best performance in Asia’s premier club competition, the AFC Champions League, came in 1995 when they finished runners-up.

Who is Al Nassr’s coach, and what notable players are in the squad?

Al Nassr is coached by Rudi Garcia, who previously managed Lille, AS Roma, Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais. The Frenchman has been in charge since June. Other notable foreign players in the squad include Cameroon’s World Cup hero Vincent Aboubakar, who changed the game against Serbia and scored the winner to stun Brazil in their last group game in Qatar.

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Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, who previously played for Arsenal and Napoli, as well as former Brazil international and midfielder Luiz Gustavo are also in the squad.

Why Ronaldo joined the Al Nassr club?

Ronaldo was a free man after Manchester United terminated his contract following an explosive TV interview in which he criticised manager Erik ten Hag and the club's owners after being benched and even temporarily suspended by the club on multiple occasions.

He is also coming off a disappointing World Cup where he was benched in the knockout rounds and left the field in tears after Portugal lost in the quarterfinals to Morocco.

There were also reports that Cristiano Ronaldo waited for a call from Real Madrid before joining Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.

The 37-year-old was spotted at the Real Madrid training ground after Portugal’s World Cup exit. And his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, had also left Old Trafford to go back to the club where his dad is the all-time top goalscorer. However, after waiting for 40 days, on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo completed a lucrative move to the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

What Ronaldo said about joining the Al Nassr club?

Ronaldo said in a statement that he was "eager to experience a new football league in a different country".

"I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia", the forward added.

What Ronaldo can offer to the Al Nassr club?

Ronaldo has 819 goals to his name, having scored over 700 goals in club football and over 100 in international football. Despite United's struggles last season, an ageing Ronaldo demonstrated that he still had some fuel left in the tank by finishing top scorer with 24 goals, 18 of which came in the Premier League.

In Qatar, he became the first player to score in five World Cups but he soon lost his place in the starting lineup after Portugal reached the knockout stages. However, scoring goals has not been an issue for Al Nassr this season, as the team has a joint league-high 24 goals after 10 games, the same as leaders Al Shabab.

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