FIFA Men's World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo 'close to' signing big deal with Al-Nassr, per reports

Updated Nov. 30, 2022 7:03 p.m. ET

DOHA, Qatar — Portugal doesn’t play its final group game for two more days, but once again Cristiano Ronaldo was in the headlines at the World Cup on Wednesday, as a Spanish newspaper reported he is set to agree to a remarkable transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo was left unattached after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent at the start of the tournament, following an explosive fallout with head coach Erik ten Hag and a tell-all interview with British television host Piers Morgan.

Yet despite his status as one of the two best players of the last 15 years, alongside Lionel Messi, Ronaldo did not receive offers from the kind of elite European clubs that might have been expected to bid for his services.

Madrid-based newspaper Marca, which reported extensively on all things Ronaldo during his successful stint with Real Madrid, reported a switch to Al-Nassr was "agreed."

The figures being mentioned, naturally, are eye-popping, with Marca reporting a total package worth $207.4 million per season, "including salary and advertising agreements."

Piers Morgan on Cristiano Ronaldo

Piers Morgan joins Alexi Lalas and the "FIFA World Cup Tonight" crew to debate whether Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo crossed the line with Manchester United.

Ronaldo had been previously linked with various European clubs such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich, and even a possible switch to Major League Soccer.

Al-Nassr is a nine-time champion of the Saudi league and most recently won the title in 2019. It is expected Ronaldo will sign for 2.5 years, which would take him past his 40th birthday.

Ronaldo has had his fair share of turmoil in this tournament, even as Portugal won its first two games to top Group H with only its upcoming clash with South Korea remaining.

He gatecrashed a Portugal media session that was scheduled to feature other players before the first game to implore reporters to stop asking questions about his United exit, but then made the unusual move of skipping his own captain’s press conference a day later.

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Alexi Lalas and David Mosse react to Portugal's victory over Uruguay.

Against Ghana, he became the first man to score in five separate World Cup finals and thought he had matched Portugal legend Eusebio’s national record of nine total World Cup goals with a header against Uruguay — which was later credited to Bruno Fernandes.

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