How much did Al Nassr pay for Ronaldo?

Al Nassr, one of the biggest domestic clubs in Saudi Arabia, on 30 December 2022 signed a 2.5-year contract with Cristiano Ronaldo in a deal potentially worth $200M per season.

Al-Nassr agreed for Ronaldo to join the club until 2025. With this, Ronaldo received the highest football salary in his career. His total annual salary included a guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals.

His new club came following his high-profile departure from Manchester United as Ronaldo and United agreed to mutually terminate his contract following the interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022.

As club captain, Ronaldo made his debut for Al Nassr on January 22 last year. In the first match, he played the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 win against Al-Ettifaq. By converting a last-minute penalty, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw against Al-Fateh.

The Portugal player scored all four goals in a 4–0 win over Al Wehda on February 9 the same year. His first goal of the match earned a record of his 500th career league goal.

According to the BBC, Many players from other leagues, particularly those in Europe, transferred to Saudi Pro League clubs for the 2023–24 season after Ronaldo transferred to Al-Nassr.

As a result of his side’s 5–4 penalty shootout defeat to Al-Hilal in the 2024 King Cup final on May 31, Ronaldo equalled Rogério Ceni’s record for most top-level matches by a male professional.

What do we know about Al Nassr?

Al Nassr is one of the biggest domestic clubs in Saudi Arabia. Former Lyon and AS Roma boss Rudi Garcia managed the capital city Riyadh-based club, the second-most successful team in Saudi Arabia.

Al Nassr aimed to grow its international profile in the coming years to challenge Al Hilal and compete in the AFC Champions League.

Why did Al Nassr choose Ronaldo?

Al Nassr’s move for Ronaldo was taken to become a major power in Asian football where it will be able to compete with Arab neighbours and clubs from China, Japan and South Korea on a continental level.