Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr are poised to announce the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, reports claim.
The Portuguese icon turned 40 in February but is still going strong. Ronaldo finished a second successive season as the Saudi top-flight’s leading scorer this term and has amassed 93 goals in 105 games during his two-and-a-half years in the Kingdom.
Ronaldo’s time in Riyadh appears to be coming to an end. The veteran forward heavily hinted at his departure with a hardly subtle social media post. “This chapter is over,” he posted. “The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.”
MARCA claim that the veteran forward’s departure will be confirmed at a press conference on Thursday, yet quite where he ends up remains to be seen.
There has been a swollen glut of speculation surrounding Ronaldo’s next destination. Talk has taken the well-travelled forward from Brazil to Mexico, with some particularly outlandish claims linking Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer with a return to the capital. MARCA cite reports suggesting that Ronaldo could even remain in Saudi Arabia, with Al Nassr’s fearsome rivals Al Hilal put forward as a particularly contentious option.
Wherever Ronaldo ends up, all signs point towards a move which will allow him to play at this summer’s inaugural edition of the Club World Cup. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the father of this bloated competition who has his name carved into the trophy (twice), effectively delivered a come-and-get-me plea on behalf of the forward.
“Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well at the Club World Cup,” Infantino recently said. “There are discussions. There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup... who knows, who knows.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Al Nassr ‘Plan’ to Announce Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer Decision.
