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Al Nassr manager, Rudi Garcia, has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo will return to European football after his contract in Saudi Arabia is up in two years. Garcia, who has managed in Europe himself, has said that there is no chance that Ronaldo finishes his career with his new club.
Ronaldo made headlines earlier this year when he terminated his contract at Manchester United after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan. During the interview, Ronaldo made a number of outlandish claims and said that he didn’t respect United boss, Erik Ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s contract was terminated part-way through the World Cup in Qatar and shortly after the tournament finished, he announced he was going to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The news caught many by surprise as Ronaldo had told Morgan in the interview in December that he wanted to continue playing at the highest level.
Despite the fanfare around his move to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo hasn’t set the world alight since moving to Al Nassr. In two competitive fixtures for his new club, Ronaldo has failed to score a goal. He was also part of the team that got knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup by All Ittihad.
“One of the best players in the world”
Speaking to reporters after Ronaldo’s debut against All Ettifaq, manager Rudi Garcia was full of praise for the 38-year-old. The former Lyon boss said:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition, as he helps to disperse defenders. He is one of the best players in the world. He will not finish his career at Al Nassr, he will return to Europe”.
Although Garcia believes that his new signing will be leaving the club for Europe when his contract expires in two years, the reality is Ronaldo will be 40 years old then. His powers have been on the decline for the past couple of years and it is unlikely that they are going to return over the next couple of months.
There wasn’t any interest from Europe’s elite this winter prior to his move to Al Nassr and the expectation is that Ronaldo will call time on his career when his current deal expires. There had been rumours of a clause in his existing contract that meant the Portuguese star could move to Newcastle United if the Magpies qualified for the Champions League, but Eddie Howe has dismissed the claims.
Still work to do
Ronaldo’s glittering career may well be coming to an end but he still appears to be as motivated as ever to achieve new goals. He has over 800 career goals to date but will be looking to push towards 850 and maybe even 900 while he’s in Saudi Arabia.
As well as personal accolades, a new country provides Ronaldo with the opportunity to add to his trophy cabinet. So far he has won three Premier League trophies, two La Liga titles, two Serie A titles, five Champions Leagues, and a number of different cups.
First things first, though, Ronaldo will just want to get off the mark for his new club. His next opportunity comes against Al Fateh on February 3rd.
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