Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract at Al Nassr and will remain in the Saudi Pro League until he’s 42 years of age.
Ronaldo has set his sights on the Pro League title, which would be the first for Al Nassr since 2018-19 and his first since joining the Riyadh club in 2023.
The 40-year-old has won league titles with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus but is yet to add the Saudi Arabian championship to his extensive collection of winners’ medals won across multiple countries.
With his previous contract set to expire at Al Nassr, which is one of the clubs majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s state Public Investment Fund (PIF), Ronaldo’s future was thrown into doubt when FIFA president Gianni Infantino touted him for a move to one of the clubs participating in his Club World Cup in the United States this summer.
Alas, there was no visit to America for the veteran forward.
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It was reported that a number of competing clubs explored the possibility of bringing in one of the world’s most famous footballers in time for the revamped competition. There was even an absurd suggestion that he should be allowed to play on loan for PIF stablemates Al Hilal, but Al Nassr is where the heart is for the Portugal captain.
The club announced his new deal on Thursday, revealing that he had agreed terms on a two-year extension that takes him to 2027.
“A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together,” Ronaldo posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Ronaldo’s professional career began as far back as 2002, when his performances for Sporting CP quickly caught the eye of Alex Ferguson. The Man United boss took him from Lisbon to the Premier League and he’s been stubbornly banging in a ludicrous barrage of goals ever since.
He’s continued his otherworldly scoring rate in vain so far in the Saudi Pro League, though Al Nassr did win the Arab Club Champions Cup for the first time in 2023. Ronaldo, of course, was the competition’s top goalscorer and scored both goals in the final against Al Hilal.
Ronaldo will begin the 2025-26 Saudi season with a new manager after Stefano Pioli paid the price this week for Al Nassr’s paucity of domestic success on his watch. The Italian replaced Luis Castro, Ronaldo’s compatriot and the manager of the Arab Club Champions Cup-winning team, last September.
Al Nassr finished behind Al Hilal and comfortable league winners Al Ittihad in 2024-25 and were closer to missing out on AFC Champions League spot altogether than they were to qualifying for the Champions League Elite.
The AFC’s premier club competition was most recently won by Saudi club Al Ahli, who beat surprise Japanese title challengers Kawasaki Frontale in the final Jeddah in May.
