A Spanish report blew a surprise of heavy caliber, claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Saudi victory wants to leave the "global" club next summer.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo could no longer afford to live any longer in Saudi Arabia despite two seasons remaining until the end of his contract with Al Nasr.
According to the newspaper, Ronaldo wants to leave the Saudi club after only 5 months of his arrival in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a historic contract that extends for two and a half seasons worth 200 million euros per season.
😠 Cristiano Ronaldo está como loco por abandonar el Al Nassr al que llegó en el pasado mes de enero, aunque tiene contrato todavía para las dos próximas temporadas
✍ @ramonfuentes74https://t.co/qLrJzVwQ2l
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) May 23, 2023
The newspaper went further, asserting that the five-time best player in the world believes that sports facilities and infrastructure are less than the quality available to players in European stadiums.
If Cristiano decides to leave officially, he is required to pay compensation to Al Nasr Club for the remaining two seasons of his contract, in compliance with the regulations on the player transfer system followed by the International Federation of Football Association "FIFA".
According to Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations, the party who wants to terminate the contract is obliged to pay material compensation for the remainder of the contract period.
On the sporting side, Cristiano will face a four-month suspension if his contract with Al Nasr is terminated, which complicates his position on making a final decision.
These developments come hours before the Al-Nasr match against Al-Shabab – on Tuesday – at the top of the 28th round of the Saudi league.
D52' ⚽
The first goal of Al Nasr by Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Tai 0 × 1 Al Nasr #Altai_Al Nasr | #SSC pic.twitter.com/6y8PQzZ7Ud
— Saudi Sports Company SSC (@ssc_sports) May 16, 2023
Al-Nasr does not have any margin for error, as it occupies second place in the standings table with 60 points, 3 points behind leaders Ittihad Jeddah, who in turn plays against Al-Batin 3 rounds before the end of the competition.
Since his arrival at Al Nassr Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo has played 17 matches for Al Nasr in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing 4 assists.
This is the second time that Spanish media have reported the desire of the "Don" to leave Saudi Arabia in the recent period.
The Spanish newspaper "El Nacional" published that the "Madeira rocket" wants to leave Al Nasr next summer, and return to one of the clubs he previously played for.
The newspaper reported at the time that Cristiano did not adapt to life in Saudi Arabia and wants to return to Madrid, where he found comfort and lived the most beautiful moments of his personal and sports life.
El Nacional predicted that Cristiano will not last longer in Saudi Arabia, because he has failed to adapt to the customs and atmosphere of the Kingdom, and the language barrier is one of the biggest challenges facing the Portuguese star, according to the Spanish newspaper.