Sunday, January 1, 2023 at 10:29• Rian Rosendaal

Cristiano Ronaldo secretly hoped to return to Real Madrid this winter, as you know Mark to be revealed on Sunday. However, the Spanish superpower saw no point in reuniting with the player who played for The Royal. The now 37-year-old Ronaldo opted last week for a very lucrative contract with Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia. At that club, he earns 200 million euros annually until mid-2025.

Ronaldo was recently spotted at the Valdebebas training complex, leading to speculation in various media about a possible return to Real. However, the LaLiga number two’s leadership never intended to sign the Portuguese attacker. “He waited for that one call that never came.” According to Mark not so long ago, the board chose to put the club and the dressing room first. A player like Ronaldo therefore does not fit into that picture, it sounds from Madrid. In addition, coach Carlo Ancelotti announced on Thursday that he has no plans for this transfer period.

When Ancelotti returned to Real in mid-2021, Ronaldo briefly had hopes of a comeback at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, the Portuguese, who lives in Madrid, was not on the wish list at the time and that was not the case more than a year later. After Ronaldo’s departure in 2018, a renewed partnership with Real has never been an option. The veteran was briefly clubless after his much-discussed departure from Manchester United. Sporting Kansas City had a lot to offer before his arrival, but his future therefore lies with Al-Nassr.

That Ronaldo would choose Al-Nassr knew Mark already during the World Cup in Qatar. According to the newspaper, which operates from Madrid, the negotiations took forty days. Ronaldo denied during the World Cup that he would leave for Saudi Arabia, but behind the scenes the lucrative deal was already being worked on. It was not agent Jorge Mendes who completed the transfer. Confidant Ricardo Regufe ensured that Ronaldo now plays in Al-Nassr’s shirt.

Ronaldo is now looking forward to playing in a new competition, he said at his presentation at Al-Nassr. “The way Al Nassr is developing in men’s and women’s football is very inspiring. We have all seen Saudi Arabia play at the World Cup. This is a country with great potential and great ambitions. I am in a position to I’ve won everything there is to win in European football, so now is the right time to share my experience in Asia,” said Ronaldo.