The most talked about transfer to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr FC for Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t go as planned after the Pro League table toppers tumbled against their close rival Al-Ittihad at the Semi-final of the Super League.
Ronaldo signed a lucrative contract with Al Nassr which makes the legendary footballer the highest-paid athlete with $200 million per year, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner failed to live up to the expectation.
🇵🇹Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score again last night as 🇸🇦Al-Nassr were eliminated from the Saudi Super Cup#AlNassr #CR7 #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/eD0u45xCJ7
— Dylan Saunders & Jonah Lazarus (@LS__Sport) January 27, 2023
Al Nassr was beaten 3-1 by Al-Ittihad for the ultimate clash of titans as Ronaldo missed a glorious chance for his side and Rudi Garcia, the manager of Ronaldo didn’t hold back. He said, “One of the things that changed the course of the match was Cristiano’s missed opportunity in the first half.”
Clearly, the manager is not happy with the performance Ronaldo executed during the match and the manager wants far more impact than this, especially with the money they are investing in him.
Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia 🗣️:
"Ronaldo missed an easy chance in the first half and now we are out of the Saudi Supercup." pic.twitter.com/2zPfrolWBA
— Semper Fi Messi 🇦🇷 (@SemperFiMessi) January 27, 2023
The Al Nassr manager has a feeling that playing in Europe and competing in the UCL is still on cards for Ronaldo as he is not finished yet and could potentially be ended up in another move before his career is over.
“He is one of the best players in the world. He will not finish his career at Al-Nassr, he will return to Europe. He will surely want to play in the Champions League, and I hope he will be successful.”- Rudi Garcia told at the press conference.
🚨🎙️ Rudi Garcia: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not retire with Al-Nassr. He will return to Europe at the end of his career to retire." pic.twitter.com/SQTx5IGUZV
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) January 28, 2023
Ronaldo made a bold approach before leaving Manchester United as he gave an interview with Piers Morgan and discussed life and football and also the situation at Old Trafford.
However, during that interview, Ronaldo expressed a wish to continue his legacy in the UEFA Champions League but ended up being in Saudi Arabia the next month which some people claimed, was due to money.
Forget all the banter. After the way the World Cup ended – Lionel Messi lifting it – Cristiano Ronaldo no longer had anything to defend. Lost cause. Going to Saudi for the money makes sense in that regard. He inherits Ahmed Musa’s No. 7 shirt at Al-Nassr. Dream move! pic.twitter.com/pq0WMWvWbj
— JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) December 31, 2022
But Morgan defended him and said, “If it was just about money, you’d be in Saudi Arabia earning this king’s ransom, but that’s not what motivates you. You want to keep at the top.”
