Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has completed his move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, signaling the end of his career in elite club soccer. Sources told CBS Sports last month that Al Nassr had offered the 37-year-old Ronaldo a staggering three-year contract worth $225 million. The club described the signing as “history in the making,” and Ronaldo himself said he was “very excited to join my teammates, and to help the team achieve more success.”
Ronaldo remains one of soccer’s biggest global icons, and his record speaks for itself. He holds the record for the most goals in international football, with 118, and the most goals for both club and country, with 819. By comparison, his great rival Lionel Messi inspired Argentina’s third World Cup triumph, scoring seven goals, including two in the 4-2 penalty shootout win against France in the final after a 3-3 draw through extra time.
The move to Al Nassr is a major coup for soccer in the Middle East, and adds to the debate over Saudi Arabia’s attempts to use so-called “sportswashing” to improve its reputation internationally after its sovereign wealth fund led a buyout of Premier League club Newcastle United last year. Media reports have claimed the 37-year-old Portugal international could earn up to $200 million a year from the move, but he will miss out on the chance to extend his record as the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with his record currently standing at 140 goals.
The club wrote that the signing of Ronaldo “will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves.”
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