Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo as part of 'ultimate revenge' plot against rivals

Al Nassr's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was an act of "ultimate revenge" against rivals Al Hilal, it has been revealed.

Ronaldo has signed an eye-watering £173 million per season deal with Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr after his contract with Manchester United was terminated by mutual consent.

Visit Saudi, the kingdom’s tourist board and Saudi Media Company (SMC) were involved in making the deal happen and securing the services of one of the biggest athletes in history.

But a detailed report from The Athletic notes that it was in fact Al Hilal who were interested in signing Ronaldo first, with it being well documented that an unnamed Saudi club presented an offer to him in the summer.

The most successful club in Saudi, Al Hilal have won the Saudi Pro League three years in a row and also won the Asian Champions League in 2021.

They would have been a more exciting proposition but the SPL champions did not have the facilities to pull off the transfer.

Image: Alamy

It wasn't to do with the finances though. Al Hilal were hit with a transfer ban after one of their players, midfielder Mohamed Kanno, signed a new contract despite agreeing to join fellow Riyadh outfit Al Nassr.

He stayed put in the end but despite appealing their sanction in August, Al Hilal's punishment remained and when it was confirmed they were out of the race, Al Nassr swooped in and signed the 37-year-old.

Image: Alamy

They've already seen monumental growth on their social channels without Ronaldo even kicking a ball yet - their Instagram followers going up to 11 million from 860,000.

And ironically, Ronaldo's debut in Saudi Arabia will be as part of a combined Al Hilal and Al Nassr XI against long-time rival Lionel Messi in an exhibition match at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19.

"It won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," manager Rudi Garcia said on Ronaldo's first game.

"As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.

"In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal… We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it."