AL JAZEERA
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he plans to end his career with his current club Al Nassr – but probably not for another two or three years.
The Portugal superstar has dashed any hopes of a return to his first club Sporting Lisbon by confirming he plans to stay in Saudi Arabia until he retires.
“I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al Nassr,” Ronaldo told Portuguese channel NOW.
“I’m very happy at this club, I feel good in this country, too. I’m happy to play in Saudi Arabia and I want to continue.”
Ronaldo moved to the Saudi Pro League in December 2022 following his acrimonious exit from Manchester United. He has scored 50 goals in 48 appearances for the club.
The mega-money move has not yet yielded any trophies for Al Nassr, who finished second behind Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League last season and also lost the 2023-24 King’s Cup to their Riyadh rivals.
His contract has been estimated by media to be worth more than $220m.
The 39-year-old started all of Portugal’s matches at Euro 2024, where they reached the quarterfinals before losing to France on penalties.
He intends to continue playing for his country, for now at least, and hopes to feature in the forthcoming Nations League matches against Croatia and Poland.
“When I leave the national team, I won’t tell anyone in advance and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well-thought-out one,” the former Real Madrid forward added.
“Right now what I want is to be able to help the national team in their upcoming matches.
“We have the Nations League ahead of us and I would really like to play.”