Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr runs until June 30, 2025, and there has been no word on whether either of them is ready to extend it. The Portuguese forward was left out of the squad for Al Nassr’s 9-0 win over Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Arabian Premier League, and he continues to go another trophyless season with the Saudi Arabian club.
Now, everyone is asking: Which team will Ronaldo choose to sign with next? As leaks from the media become more and more frequent, football fans are looking forward to his final decision to be announced officially.
CR7 will leave Al Nassr after 3 years?
Recently, there has been information that the Al Nassr board of directors is not too keen on keeping Ronaldo. CR7 is 40 years old, receives a high salary, and plays without a spirit of supporting his teammates.
Al Nassr chairman has also seen that Al Hilal is still doing well after parting ways with Neymar and has a reason to look for another striker instead of renewing Ronaldo. Portuguese superstar’s top priority remains to be on the field, break records, and possibly participate in another World Cup next year.
Before that, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) had proposed the possibility of transferring Ronaldo from Al Nassr to Al Hilal. PIF has assets of 930 billion USD and owns four top Saudi Arabian clubs, including the two names mentioned above, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli.
In that context, Al-Hilal emerges as the ideal destination. Not only is it the number one force in Saudi Arabian football at present, but Al-Hilal is also preparing a strong force to conquer the 2025 Club World Cup – a tournament in which they will take part as representatives of Asia.
PIF wanted Al Hilal to recruit Ronaldo so that the Portuguese superstar could attend the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the US from June 15. Yet the Al Hilal board of directors rejected this proposal, instead prioritizing younger players such as 26-year-old striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
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Ronaldo receives an attractive offer from Brazil
The contract extension negotiations between Ronaldo and Al-Nassr are at a standstill, although the two were close to a 2-year extension. His future in Saudi Arabia is therefore uncertain, opening the way for other big names to enter the fray.
Taking advantage of this time, a leading football club in Brazil has approached Ronaldo with an extremely “lucrative” invitation to play. While the specific identity has not been revealed, it is likely one of the four Brazilian teams playing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Flamengo, Palmeiras, Fluminense, or Botafogo.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will occur from June 14 to July 13, 2025, in the United States, with the participation of 32 of the strongest teams on the planet. If Cristiano Ronaldo agrees to devote himself to this Brazilian team, he will have the opportunity to participate in an expanded Club World Cup for the first time in his career, thereby being able to seek one last club-level glory before retiring.
However, to make this happen, they will have to pay a small transfer fee to Al-Nassr if they want to sign a contract before June 30.
Partnering with Al-Nassr since late 2022, CR7 has maintained an incredible form with 97 goals in 109 appearances, an admirable scoring performance. Nevertheless, the 40-year-old superstar has yet to win any titles with the Saudi Arabian team – something that has left him disappointed and seriously considering moving to another place.
With the ambition to conquer the top and the desire to achieve more titles, Ronaldo is said to be very hesitant about the invitation from Brazil.
As of now, Ronaldo has not officially announced a retirement date. He has expressed in interviews his expectation to keep playing as long as he feels physically capable. Compared to Europe’s top leagues, the SPL is a better tournament, where the pace may be slightly less intense, which could mean extending his career well into his 40s.
All in all, Ronaldo’s story is just a matter of time. Whether on the field scoring goals or off the pitch inspiring the love for football, his influence will remain strong worldwide.
