Cristiano Ronaldo recently made the move to Al-Nassr having left Manchester United as he claimed his career in Europe was over – but his manager has poured water on that idea
Cristiano Ronaldo will not finish his career at Al-Nassr according to his manager – despite the player declaring his time in Europe was “over”.
The forward made the move to the Middle East recently, penning a deal that will make him the highest-paid footballer on the planet.
Ronaldo had previously underlined his desire to remain playing in the Champions League – something he reiterated in his explosive interview with Piers Morgan – but then signed with the Saudi Arabian outfit as he embarked on new challenges. Rudi Garcia is now managing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner but believes he will in fact head back to Europe.
Garcia said recently: “He is one of the best players in the world. He will not finish his career at Al-Nassr, he will return to Europe.”
The Portugal star holds several individual records in the Champions League and has won the competition on five occasions – one more than rival Lionel Messi. Despite his desire to retain those records, Ronaldo did claim during his unveiling that his time in Europe had come to an end.
He said: “I’m a unique player. It’s good to come here, I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few records here. I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy, to be part of the success of the country and culture of the country.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Sporting Lisbon were among those linked with a move for Ronaldo, who made it known in the summer he wanted to leave before he was used sporadically by Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Spanish publication El Mundo recently claimed that Ronaldo told his agent, Jorge Mendes, that he wanted to join either Chelsea or Bayern, but no agreement could be struck with either club despite meetings with Blues chief Todd Boehly.
[READ NEXT] Cristiano Ronaldo invites four ex-Manchester United teammates for summer reunion
Cristiano Ronaldo has invited four of his former Manchester United teammates to meet up for a get-together in Portugal or Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
According to The Sun, Ronaldo has now reached out to four of his former United teammates – Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire – to arrange a meet-up this summer.
The report claims that Ronaldo has invited his ex-United teammates to his new villa which is being built on the outskirts of Portugal and has floated the possibility of watching him play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
A source at United told the newspaper: ‘There are still a few lads here who have nothing but respect for Ronny and were sad how it all ended, because they never got to say a proper goodbye.
‘He recently left the player WhatsApp groups but promised to keep in touch with a few and has invited them to his new place in Lisbon and to Saudi to watch him play.
‘Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Raphael Varane are all mates.’
SOURCE: mirror.co.uk, metro.co.uk
