Cristiano Ronaldo’s highly controversial departure from Manchester United was widely documented and his criticism of the club and manager Erik ten Hag was not well received by the Old Trafford faithful.
Roughly one month after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, his famous ‘Viva Ronaldo’ chant has been altered in favour of youngster Alejandro Garnacho.
Ronaldo tried to engineer a move away from the club six months earlier but failed in that attempt. The word last summer was that he was desperate to play in the Champions League.
Now, he has almost certainly played in the storied European competition for the final time as he is on the verge of joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
That’s according to CBS Sports, who say that Ronaldo has signed the agreement on Friday afternoon after he failed to find a serious offer in Europe.
The deal is said to be in the final stages, with Ronaldo already having undergone medical examinations in preparation for the deal to be completed.
Al-Nassr are believed to have offered Ronaldo a mouthwatering $75m per year salary to join the club and they are now set to formally announce his arrival on this weekend.
SN’s verdict…
Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia almost certainly ends his career in Europe and although he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever live, it is sad to see him go out like this.
The other half of the greatest rivalry in football history, Lionel Messi, is thriving at club and international level and that will hurt Ronaldo’s ego.
But his conduct at United didn’t help his cause and perhaps he will regret how he handled the whole situation.
