Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia is late: “We’ll wait”

After a last World Cup to forget in which Portugal said a surprise goodbye in the quarterfinals against Morocco, Cristiano Ronaldo It seemed one step away from closing a difficult year with news that aimed to break through the transfer market. The Portuguese seemed to have consented to his arrival at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he would later receive one of the highest salaries in the world. However, the operation would have become complicated in the last few hours.

Some Spanish media took his transfer for granted weeks ago, when the Portuguese barely agreed to leave Manchester United, but Cristiano himself denied the stories. By now the details of the Portuguese millionaire contract had been revealed, but the one who is responsible for transmitting calm in the midst of this moment of euphoria is none other than Marcelo Salazar, sporting director of the Arab club.

This morning the Portuguese leader put a cold cloth on the versions of his compatriot’s arrival at Al Nassr, and declared: “I can’t say yes or no about Cristiano. Let’s wait to see how things will evolve until the end of the year. This is a negotiation of enormous significance, not only for the club, but for the country and for world football, and it must be carried out by the higher authorities. We have to wait”.

Far from lowering the price of this transfer which would break the transfer market, Salazar evaluated Cristiano Ronaldo, and regarding what his figure represents, he said: “He has always been an example for me as an athlete, for the desire he shows to win And then, as a Portuguese citizen, I have always supported him. But at the right moment the future will unfold.” Furthermore, the leader was encouraged to rate him as “one of the best in football history”.

And just as he was talking about the possible purchase of Cristiano, Salazar was also tasked with investigating one of the possible obstacles in the negotiation between the Portuguese and the Arab club: the lack of competitiveness of the Saudi League. Referring to those who belittle the league, he launched: “I’ve been here for five years and all the players I spoke to were very positively surprised when they got here, especially for the level of the league.”

In this way it is clear that Al Nassr does not give up on the possible arrival of the Portuguese, which despite the complications could materialize in the next few hours. Meanwhile, the Saudi club is also banking on a figure that would be released in the coming weeks: none other than the French N’Golo Kante, for which there would have already been contacts. Looking to 2023, Al Nassr could put together a dream team.

Cristiano’s place after Portugal’s elimination

His Argentine wife Georgina Rodríguez had been speaking, as had her sisters throughout most of the World Cup. But at the farewell with tears included by the crack Cristiano Ronaldo still had a chapter, arrived with a publication of the Portuguese on his Instagram accountin which he referred to the elimination against Morocco in the quarterfinals of Qatar 2022, also opening up the uncertainty about his future.

That was a turbulent week for the winner of five Ballon d’Ors, as his criticisms of coach Fernando Santos removed him from the starting team at the most important moment of the tournament on Arab soil and in the end he was unable to respect the national team. like so many other times lusa when he came on he just started the second half. Portugal went into the World Cup amidst rumors of a divided dressing room and the team never found its way.

Despite “so much that has been said”, he explained, his “dedication to Portugal has not” changed “at any time”, as he has “always” fought for “the biggest and most ambitious dream” of his career, namely that of winning a World Cup with his country to which “he would never turn his back”. “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I have won many international titles, including Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the world was my biggest dream.“, he pulled away.

And he concluded: “I fought for this. I fought hard for this dream. In the five appearances I scored at the World Cup over the course of 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. I I gave up everything on the court. I never turned my back on the fight and I never gave up on that dream. There’s not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar. The dream was good while it lasted.”