Former Real Madrid and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo began a new chapter of his career weeks before his 38th birthday, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr
As Cristiano Ronaldo marks his 38th birthday, it’s safe to say things are looking rather different for the veteran compared to this time last year.
Twelve months ago, Ronaldo was gearing up for Man Utd’s trip to Burnley, having missed a penalty one day earlier as United were stunned by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. He didn’t score that day, but did deliver two hat-tricks between then and the end of the season while finishing as top scorer for his club.
Fast forward to February 2023 and not only is Ronaldo no longer at Old Trafford, but he’s no longer in Europe. The Portugal international has endured a tough start to life at new club Al-Nassr, and faces some big decisions in the twilight of his career.
Struggles in Saudi Arabia
Before leaving Manchester United in November when his contract was terminated by mutual agreement, Ronaldo was in the midst of one of his worst ever seasons in front of goal. He had scored just three times for Erik ten Hag’s side, and was unable to end his wait for a World Cup knockout goal as Portugal fell in the quarter-finals.
A move to Saudi Arabia was supposed to change that, but things haven’t all gone Ronaldo’s way. He drew a blank on his league debut against Ettifaq and also failed to net as Al-Nassr lost in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner also missed a sitter in his third game, against Al-Fateh. He did finally get off the mark, but only after taking penalty duties off team-mate Anderson Talisca to equalise in the same match.
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t had the best of starts to his Al-Nassr career ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Playing until 40
When Ronaldo moved to his new club, he did so on a contract running until 2025. The huge sums of money won’t have hurt, with reported figures of £173m per year, but it also allows him to keep going until the age of 40.
Ronaldo addressed his future in an interview with Piers Morgan which aired shortly before the World Cup. It was there that the magic number of 40 came to light, with the veteran laying out his plans.
“I want to play two years more, three years more,” he said, suggesting he will not still be going by the time the next World Cup rolls around in 2026. “So two or three years maximum.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Al-Nassr goal at the third time of asking ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about playing until the age of 40 ( Image: Getty Images)
“I want to finish [aged] 40. I think 40, will be a good age… But I don’t know, I don’t know the future. Sometimes you plan one thing for your life and as I told many times, the life is dynamic. And you never know what’s going to happen.”
A European return?
When Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia, he claimed his work in Europe was done. He scored a huge 701 goals on his home continent, winning multiple Champions League titles, paving the way for a new chapter.
“I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few records here,” he said upon joining Al-Nassr. “I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy, to be part of the success of the country and culture of the country.
Al-Nassr boss Rudi Garcia has suggested Ronaldo could yet return to Europe ( Image: Al Nassr Football Club/AFP via G)
The 7 players Madrid signed with Cristiano Ronaldo & how they fared
The summer of 2009 was quite a time for Real Madrid. Florentino Perez returned as president with the task of knocking Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning Barcelona off their perch.
The man behind the original Galacticos project at the Bernabeu, Perez lived up to his billing as box office and sanctioned well over €200million on new signings with Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United the headline-grabbing name.
It’s fair to say that Ronaldo did okay during his time in the Spanish capital, but what about the seven players who arrived alongside him? Here’s how they fared.
Karim Benzema
Turned out alright.
Kaka
Having joined Los Blancos in a £56million deal, Kaka became the most expensive player in history until Ronaldo pissed on his bonfire a few weeks later.
The former Brazil international, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2007, arrived with big expectations but injuries meant he was never fully able to reproduce the form he showed at AC Milan.
He eventually lost his place in the side to Mesut Ozil and returned to Milan on a free transfer in 2013.
“In 2009 I accepted the proposal of Real Madrid, but I was completely destroyed there because I could not give what I had given Milan, I was completely lost,” Kaka told UOL Esporte in 2018.
“Jose Mourinho was a difficult coach for me and we had a respectful but complicated relationship. When I thought he would give me a chance, I couldn’t prove to him that I was in good shape.
“I trained, I fought and I prayed a lot, but having not received the confidence of the coach, I realised that I could not work with him.”
They should’ve just kept Wesley Sneijder…
Xabi Alonso
Despite wanting to stay at Liverpool, Alonso completed a £30million move to Madrid, where he cemented his reputation as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Alongside Ronaldo, he became an undisputed starter at the Bernabeu and made over 200 appearances in all competitions during his five years at the club.
The former Spain international helped Los Blancos win a La Liga title, two Copa del Reys and the Champions League before seeing out the last three years of a stellar career at Bayern Munich.
Raul Albiol
On the fringes of the Spain squad that won three major tournaments in a row between 2008 and 2012, Albiol played a prominent role under Manuel Pellegrini as Los Blancos pushed Barcelona all the way in the 2009-10 season, finishing second in La Liga with a record 96 points.
The centre-back also played a fair bit during Jose Mourinho’s first season, but he was pushed to the periphery after the club signed Raphael Varane in 2011 and Sergio Ramos started to play more as a centre-back.
Albiol made just five starts in the club’s 2011-12 title-winning campaign, and eventually joined Rafael Benitez’s Napoli in the summer of 2013.
Alvaro Negredo
After selling Negredo in 2007, Madrid exercised a €5million buy-back clause to bring him back from Almeria two years later.
The striker didn’t make a single first-team appearance and was immediately farmed off to Sevilla, while Madrid made a tidy €10million profit.
“The problem I had at Real was that I was very young and I was fighting for a place in the squad with a lot of world-class players,” Negredo told the Guardian in 2013.
“There was Raul, Ronaldo, Benzema, Van Nistelrooy and Higuain, so I didn’t really have much of a chance because of the age I was. At least when Pellegrini sold me, he spoke to me and explained his decision.
“He said to me: ‘Listen, I want you to go to a club where you can keep growing by doing well.’ He helped me look at my options, there were no hard feelings.”
Esteban Granero
While Granero had to leave Madrid for Getafe to make his top-flight breakthrough, he ultimately impressed enough to earn a return to the Bernabeu.
He failed to establish himself as a first-team regular at Madrid and even left-back Fabio Coentrao began to get a game in the middle of the park ahead of him.
According to Jerzy Dudek, Jose Mourinho accused the midfielder accused of being a “rat” and leaking to the team to the media ahead of a game against Barcelona in 2011.
The former Spain Under-21 international then left his boyhood club and completed a £9million move to QPR in 2012.
Alvaro Arbeloa
Another Madrid academy graduate, Arbeloa returned to the Bernabeu in 2009 following spells at Deportivo La Coruna and Liverpool.
A reliable and consistent performer, the versatile defender went on to play 233 times in a white shirt in a seven-year spell at the Bernabeu.
“Arbeloa does not have that high a profile but is certainly one of those who has given Real Madrid, its fans, all of his coaches and his team-mates all that he had,” Jose Mourinho told Marca in 2016.
“In my 16 years of coaching, I have him, surely, on the podium of the most important players with whom I have worked.”
After falling down the pecking order in 2015-16, he was given a hero’s farewell and returned to the Premier League with West Ham United.
Source: mirror.co.uk; planetfootball.com
