Portugal’s superstar
‘Marca’: Ronaldo could play for Newcastle in the summer
Cristiano Ronaldo will be unveiled in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. photo
© Francisco Seco/AP/dpa
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi club Al-Nassr could be short-lived, writes Spanish sports daily Marca.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi club Al-Nassr could be short-lived, writes Spanish sports daily Marca.
His €200m contract includes a clause allowing the Portuguese superstar to be loaned out to Premier League side Newcastle United, which, like Al-Nassr, is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the newspaper reported.
The condition is that Newcastle land in one of the top four places in the Premier League and thus participate in the Champions League. That could work: Newcastle are currently third. Then the five-time Champions League winner could compete again in the premier class.
So far, there has been no official confirmation for the newspaper’s presentation. “Marca” did not name a source either and only let it be known that they “were able to find out”. There were also voices on the Internet that there was no need for such a clause because both clubs had the same owner.
The “welcome ceremony for the world’s best player” will take place at Msool Park on Tuesday, as Al-Nassr announced on Twitter. According to the media, tens of thousands of fans are expected. After the inglorious departure from Manchester United and the reserve role for Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar, the five-time world footballer without a club switched to the second-rate league in Saudi Arabia.
In the future he will play in a country that has repeatedly been criticized internationally for human rights violations. According to media reports, Ronaldo should get the equivalent of around 200 million euros per season, including advertising revenue. He signed for two and a half years.