Wages and the American Dream
Cristiano Ronaldo turned 40 years old last February (February 5), but he is still the highest paid player in the world .
His media impact goes far beyond his goals and surpasses any other athlete in terms of promotion. No one creates as much commercial value as Ronaldo.
Therefore, in its ambitious international expansion plan, Saudi Arabia did not hesitate to offer a salary of 200 million euros/year in December 2022.
They convinced him with a two-and-a-half-season contract with Al-Nassr, which will end on June 30.
“This chapter is over,” CR7 declared as a way of putting pressure last week.
Currently, while focusing on the Portuguese team preparing for the UEFA Nations League semi-final against Germany (2am on June 5), Ronaldo continues to put pressure on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is trying to convince him to extend his contract. Ronaldo knows that at his age, no other place will pay him such a salary.
Although he has declared the old chapter closed, he is still quietly negotiating his future in Riyadh. In addition to salary, he wants to play for a club that competes for titles.
Al-Nassr are now well behind Al Ittihad – who won the Saudi Pro League with Benzema – and Al Hilal, who signed Neymar (now back at Santos), are in talks with Inter’s Simone Inzaghi – a Champions League finalist – to take part in this month’s Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr finished third in the domestic league and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. Ronaldo, with his never-ending thirst for victory, was feeling extremely disappointed.
Currently, Al-Nassr is like a chaotic “fire”. Fans on social networks – mainly CR7 fans – continuously demand changes in the board of directors, while the club’s upper echelons confirm to keep Fernando Hierro as sporting director.
However, things seem to be ready for change. The club is looking for new destinations for Sadio Mane and Laporte.
At the same time, Al-Nassr's top priority is to keep Ronaldo - who is keeping an emotional eye on "neighbor" Al Hilal, the team that will face Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.
So far, the possibility of Ronaldo moving to Al Hilal has not been ruled out.
Putting pressure on Saudi Arabia
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sees sport , especially football, as one of the main pillars of his Vision 2030 strategy – a plan to reform many sectors to attract international tourism to Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo is a key player in this plan. Between Vision 2030 and the 2034 World Cup that Saudi Arabia will host, they cannot and will not lose Ronaldo, knowing – like he does – that there is no place that can match their level of treatment.
Ronaldo knows that despite interest from Mexican clubs or the US MLS, no one is offering the amount of money he is receiving.
Saudi Arabia also understands that even if they recruit more stars, no one can replace CR7's stature.
“Where will he get that kind of money?” , a source involved in the renewal negotiations told El Mundo.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) – which provides much of the financial muscle for top Saudi Pro League clubs – is planning to appoint a new chairman for Al-Nassr from June.
Fernando Hierro himself confirmed: "The club is working to extend Cristiano's contract and I hope the two sides will reach an agreement."
The former Real Madrid centre-back stressed: “Cristiano’s presence is part of the Saudi Arabia project. He chose to represent Al-Nassr when he signed the contract.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo is eager to help Portugal win against Germany, something he has never done in his career of more than two decades. A difficult task for coach Roberto Martinez.
The Spanish coach was questioned after the recent Euro. Roberto Martinez always relied on CR7, but his future is unclear (many reports say Portugal wants to hire Jose Mourinho to lead the 2026 World Cup).
“Ronaldo's future in the national team is like talking about the weather, everyone has an opinion, but no one has a plan, including Cristiano himself,” coach Martinez shared.
Nations League results could decide the seat Roberto Martinez is sitting in, as well as help Ronaldo push Saudi Arabia to find the best solution for him.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cristiano-ronaldo-vua-muon-tien-saudi-arabia-vua-mo-ve-my-2407951.html
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