Currently in Qatar for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup campaign, Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself embroiled in rumours about his future due to his contract being terminated by Manchester United. On Monday, Spanish media outlet Marca reported that the 37-year-old had agreed to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half year deal worth 200 million euros per season. But then ESPN stated on Tuesday that the rumours were fake and that Ronaldo had not made a decision yet.
So after Portugal’s 6-1 victory against Switzerland, the attacker was asked by reporters if his deal with Al-Nassr was complete, to which he simply replied, “No, that’s not true – not true”.
Ronaldo was also benched for the Switzerland clash, coming in the second-half as a substitute with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick on his World Cup debut. He was also approached by the club in the previous transfer window, but rejected those offers as he was seeking to join a club in the Champions League. But Ronaldo’s huge salary became an obstacle with Chelsea and Bayern Munich backing out from making a move.
The Portugal captain rejoined United in 2021 for a second stint. He departed the English side after his first stint in 2009. On his return, he finished the season with 24 goals in all competitions, 18 of those being in the Premier League, making him the third-highest goalscorer in the league behind Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min. He was also named in the Premier League Team of the year but United finished in sixth spot, failing to qualify for the Champions League. But after Erik ten Hag’s arrival, he fell down the pecking order, restricted to only 10 2022-23 Premier League appearances, scoring a goal. Meanwhile, he scored two goals and bagged two assists in the Europa League.
Just before the World Cup, he flirted with controversy after an interview with Piers Morgan, where he criticised the club and Ten Hag. Responding to the interview, the Premier League club terminated his contract.
