Al Nassr: Ronaldo’ll return to Europe

Al Nassr manager, Rudi Garcia, says Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, will leave the Saudi Arabian club in order to finish his career in Europe.

Ronald had his Manchester United contract terminated in November 2022 following a controversial television interview in which the 38-year-old forward said he felt betrayed by the Old Trafford club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.

He later signed a record-breaking deal with Al Nassr that sees him earn a reported £175m a year.

The two-year deal would take Ronaldo past his 40th birthday if he remains in Saudi Arabia.

However, Garcia, a former Roma boss who now manages Ronaldo in Riyadh, said the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will return to Europe before he retires.

He said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition, as he helps to disperse defenders. He is one of the best players in the world.

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“He will not finish his career at Al-Nassr, he will return to Europe. It has not been the ideal start to life for Ronaldo at his new club so far.”

Ronaldo has failed to score or assist in his two matches for the club.

This has led to Garcia warning his players to try and not always aim for the Portuguese star when picking a pass.

“Ronaldo missed a chance on goal that would have turned the game around in the first half but I congratulate Al-Ittihad. They were much better than us until the break.

“So we reacted but we could no longer turn around. We lost the Super Cup but we are still first in the championship.

“It is very important that the players play normally and don’t always try to give Cristiano the ball. I told them they had to make the right decisions on the field.

“Obviously, when Cristiano or Talisca are alone and ask for the ball, we have to give them the ball. These two players are capable of making a difference.

“I think sometimes we had good crossing positions, but there were not enough people in the box, sometimes not Ronaldo or Talisca. We have to work on it, have one of them in the area and maybe the other will play outside the area,” Garcia added after a recent cup defeat.

The Portugal international won two La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles, and three Club World Cups with Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018.

Ronaldo went on to score a club record 451 times for Real Madrid and has more than 800 senior goals overall for club and country.

He also claimed two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia trophy in three years at Juventus before rejoining United with whom he had won three Premier League crowns, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and Club World Cup.

The Star