The last six weeks must have been tough for Cristiano Ronaldo. First he gave an interview which caused Manchester United to terminate his contract. Then he was benched for Portugal in the World Cup because he got angry when he was substituted. Then Portugal went out and Ronaldo left Qatar in tears. He then had to watch Lionel Messi win the World Cup, a triumph which for many settled the debate about who is the greatest of the two, as well as of all time. And now Ronaldo, who will be 38 in February, has practically given up by going to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. On Friday evening, the club released pictures of Ronaldo smiling in his new kit. That grin must hide a sporting pain that is immense. Peace to the elite How can you say this? Because a collective British press learned this summer that Ronaldo wanted to leave United to play in the Champions League. He refused to hang around in the Europa League against teams like Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia. He was too ambitious. Too good. When Ronaldo gave his interview to Piers Morgan in November, he criticized the management at United and said he “didn’t respect” coach Erik ten Hag. If the plan was to leave the club, it worked. The price was to sacrifice part of his legendary status at Old Trafford. Ronaldo returned “home” to United as a solution and left as a problem. He also said that he had received a large offer from Saudi Arabia which he had turned down. – That tells me you’re not just thinking about money, said Morgan. And this was certainly true. If Ronaldo really dreamed of playing in Saudi Arabia, he would have gone there a long time ago. We know him as an extremely ambitious player with a dream to be remembered as the best of all time. Ronaldo’s goal was to make sure the rest of the world agreed. NEW CLUB: Al-Nassr announced the transfer on Friday evening. Photo: Screenshot / Twitter He had little time left to build on his status. In the Champions League, where he is the top scorer of all time, 11 goals ahead of Messi, a sixth title would equal the record of Real Madrid winger Paco Gento. With the powerful agent Jorge Mendes on the team, the plan was to find a new team in Europe in December. But as when he proposed to the elite this summer, no one said yes. The market no longer thought that Ronaldo was good enough. He is too old. He takes up too much space. He costs too much. He doesn’t run enough. For several weeks, Ronaldo was on the hunt. Now he has officially given up. Fiasco Thus, this transfer appears as a Plan B. If the elite in Europe do not want Ronaldo, he might as well make himself richer. But let there be no doubt: It is a sporting failure. At United, fans will now discuss what kind of status he is actually left with. In Portugal, he reigns over Eusébio, but no one will forget that he was benched in his last World Cup. The duel with Messi ended with tears for him and cheers for Leo. For a guy who thinks more than most about his place in the history books, these six weeks have been disastrous. SPORTING DOWNSIDE: The World Cup ended with an exit against Morocco. It’s just one of the many lows for Ronaldo lately. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters And Ronaldo contributed to this himself. It was he who made himself unpalatable for United, and it was he who stirred up when he was replaced for Portugal. Both reactions came after he didn’t get to play as much as he wanted. The ego that has made him so good for so long has become his greatest enemy. Towards the World Cup in 2030, Ronaldo will, according to several reports, receive a salary of around 200 million euros per year, and has already said that he is looking forward to playing for Al-Nassr. In the next few years, we may soon hear that Saudi Arabia is a great country that you should definitely visit. Maybe he can even stare into a camera and say, without laughing, that this is not about money. One could rightly criticize Ronaldo for going to such a brutal and authoritarian country, but stars such as Pep Guardiola, Xavi and Samuel Eto’o have gone to the gulf to end their careers for 20 years. Messi is an ambassador for Saudi Arabia. The stars flock to Dubai on holiday. AS BAD: Xavi in action for Al-Sadd, a club in Doha. Photo: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP Ronaldo can easily say that he is no worse than his colleagues. If the transition is disappointing, it is unfortunately also normal. But for those who care about sports washing, this makes Ronaldo’s final chapter extra sad. He helps one of the most brutal regimes in the world. Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud hailed the signing on Twitter on Friday and promised more stars to the country soon. Ronaldo’s contract runs until the summer of 2025, by which time FIFA will have decided who will get the World Cup in 2030. Saudi Arabia will almost certainly apply, and now has two of the greatest players of all time as ambassadors, plus a warm friendship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. For many years, club managers in Europe have dreamed of getting Messi and Ronaldo to work towards the same goal. Now Saudi Arabia has done it. The latest goal This transition reflects football’s new reality. In a world where the states in the Gulf buy everything they want – tournaments, clubs, players and political power – and where it is obviously not possible for the stars to have enough money, then Ronaldo will of course go to Al-Nassr. This happens two weeks after Qatar hosted the World Cup final. For a calendar year that has been fantastic for sports washing, it’s a fitting end. Ronaldo’s latest goal will now not be the Champions League, but to wash Saudi Arabia’s international reputation clean. Perhaps he will score more goals for Portugal, but unless he makes an unexpected comeback in Europe, he can be written off as a club player. There is something sad about it all, because his career deserved a better ending. Now it’s over. Saudi Arabia has won. Ronaldo has lost. INTERVIEWER: – I feel betrayed. Cristiano Ronaldo holds nothing back in the interview that sent shockwaves through the football world.
ttn-69
Thore Haugstad thinks Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabia election is sad and undignified – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
