KEY POINTS
- Ronaldo recently signed with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr
- His current contract is until 2025
- Ronaldo recently parted ways with Man Utd on mutual consent
Cristiano Ronaldo may still be able to play in the UEFA Champions League despite his move to the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
After parting ways with Manchester United on mutual consent, Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr on a two-year contract. Ronaldo’s salary with Al Nassr is believed to be around $200 million per year, including commercial agreements, which is the largest-ever salary in soccer history.
Ronaldo, who holds several Champions League records, has a clause in his Al Nassr contract that he will be allowed to make a loan move to Newcastle United should they qualify for the top European competition next season, reported Spanish outlet Marca. Al Nassr will let Ronaldo head to St. James’ Park on loan because the Magpies are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
With 34 points from 17 matches, Newcastle are currently placed third in the Premier League table and are eyeing their first Champions League qualification in two decades. The St. James’ Park side is also just two points behind second-placed Manchester City, but is still nine points behind leaders Arsenal.
Ronaldo, who has won the Champions League five times, one more than arch-rival Lionel Messi, currently is the leading scorer in the competition. The Portuguese forward has so far netted 140 goals in comparison to Messi’s 129 goals. Ronaldo also holds the record for most Champions League appearances – 183 matches, ahead of his former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas (177) and Messi (161).
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Messi, who recently captained Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar, is still competing in the Champions League. Ahead of PSG’s Round of 16 fixtures in February, Messi will look to close the scoring gap with Ronaldo into single figures.
Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of his grand unveiling before thousands of fans at Al Nassr. Undoubtedly, Ronaldo is the biggest star to play in Saudi Arabia, although other big names, including George Weah, Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez, had also played in the well-off Gulf region in the twilight of their careers.
Having started his senior career in the 2002-03 season, Ronaldo has netted 701 goals in 949 matches for four different clubs: Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
