Author – Amrit Santlani
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in the middle of the season to sign a highly successful contract with the Saudi Arabian club, although there have been recent reports claiming that the Portuguese is dissatisfied, and is looking for another move.
Despite receiving a hero’s welcome at Al Nassr, the 38-year-old, who has scored 12 goals for his new club, could be looking for one last big-money transfer.
As speculation grows about Ronaldo’s future, legendary Brazilian player Rivaldo has claimed that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner may have been “duped” by the money offered by Al Nassr and that he should instead try to end the final days of his iconic career at Real Madrid.
“I understand that sometimes players are fooled by the big contract they sign in Saudi Arabia, but life there is more closed, and soccer isn’t always as easy as you expect,” Rivaldo told Mundo Deportivo.
Rivaldo said that Real Madrid fans would have to understand that Ronaldo may not be the beast he once was, but he can still help the club.
“Of course, the fans have to understand that they can’t demand the same from him as they did when he was 25 or 26, but he can still help the club achieve more,” said Rivaldo.
A reunion with Real Madrid could be just around the corner for Ronaldo; in fact, he was training in Madrid before joining Al Nassr after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Portuguese won an incredible 11 trophies during his time in Spain between 2009 and 2018, including four UEFA Champions League titles and two La Liga titles.
Cristiano ended up leaving the club after becoming Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer to join Juventus, before returning to Manchester United in 2021 for a second spell at Old Trafford.
The talismanic striker has made a total of 15 appearances for Al Nassr and has scored 12 goals and provided two assists so far. Ronaldo will be back in action on Monday night, when the Saudi Arabian club host Al-Khaleej, looking to stay close to Al-Ittihad at the top of the table.