“This is not the end of my career”

A new chapter begins in the career of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese footballer was presented this Tuesday at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabiaa club with which he signed a contract until mid-2025 and where he will earn more than 200 million euros per year.

In a press conference, CR7 explained why he made the decision to play in the Saudi league. “I’m happy to be here. My work in Europe is done, I played for the most important clubs and now I have the new challenge of competing in Asia and demonstrating the evolution of football in this region.“said the former Manchester United.

In addition, he took the time to answer his critics, who pointed to him for joining a lower level competition: “I don’t care what people say, this is not the end of my career. I have the opportunity to change the mentality with which the Asian Leagues are viewed and improve it. I come for new experiences“. In addition, left a clear message to coach Rudi Garcíawho was by his side: “If it’s up to me, I make my debut on Thursday (against Al Taee)“.

Another point that stood out was the good World Cup he did Saudi Arabia in Qatar 2022, where they beat the Argentine National Team in debut: “In the last 10, 15 years, football has changed. All the teams prepare in the same way and are competitive. We saw it in the World Cup. It should not be forgotten that Arabia was the only one that beat the champion. And there were many other surprises like South Korea and the African teams“.

Regarding the high number of his contract, which makes him (by far) the highest paid footballer on the planetCristiano did not mince words and responded categorically: “My contract is unique because I am a unique footballer”.

For his part, he highlighted the accompaniment of his family and thanked them for the welcome upon arrival in the country. “We are very happy. My children and my wife always support me. The reception when we arrived was wonderful, the people of Arabia love me. I am very grateful“, he acknowledged.