New Delhi, India

Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't had the best of 2022. His turbulent second stint with Manchester United finally ended after his recent explosive claims against the Red Devils' owners and team manager Erik Ten Hag. After being released by the Old Trafford club, before his contract was to get over, there have been speculations regarding his next move. Many reports have linked the superstar footballer to several top clubs. It has been rumoured that the Portugal captain is making a move to Saudi Arabia.

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In this regard, many media outlets, including Marca, reported that Ronaldo will stay in the Middle East after the FIFA World Cup and will join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in January 2023. However, the ex-Man United striker finally reacted to all such claims and made a big statement. "No, it is not true," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by Mais Futebol after Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 tie during the Qatar World Cup.

Also read: UNBELIEVABLE! Ronaldo on the verge of agreeing to a whopping €400 million deal with Saudi Arabian club: Report

It was reported by many portals that Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr would've made him the highest-paid player in the world. However, the 37-year-old has denied all such claims and it remains to be seen which club will be able to acquire his services after his fallout with Man United. In the ongoing EPL 2022/23 edition, he failed to get going and be a regular in the starting XI. On Wednesday (December 07), when Portugal faced the Swiss line-up in the World Cup, captain Ronaldo was benched, with his replacement Gancalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick, and only made an appearance in the 73rd minute. 

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After the game, Portuguese coach Fernando Santos opined on Ronaldo being benched and said, "Cristiano and Ramos are different players. There is no problem with the national team captain," Santos said. "It was strategic. Players are different. I also started Diogo Dalot, and Raphael Guerrero; however, Joao Cancelo is a fabulous player. That's what I thought for the game against Switzerland; in another game, it might be different," he asserted. 

Portugal will now face high-flying Morocco in the quarters on December 10 (Friday).