Cristiano Ronaldo handed Al Nassr officials 'best practices' list after signing £173 million-a-year contract

Cristiano Ronaldo handed Al Nassr officials a special list upon his arrival at the club.

After his contract with Manchester United was terminated, Ronaldo has moved to Saudi Arabia for a new adventure and is in line to earn a whopping £173 million per season.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made his Al Nassr debut as captain in a 1-0 win over Ettifaq on Sunday and already Ronaldo is driving the standards for the Saudi Pro League leaders.

And a new report from ESPN states that Ronaldo did just that from the moment he put pen to paper and arrived in Riyadh.

Ronaldo's Middle East switch is not merely about his performances on the pitch; he has been brought in to bring about the growth of football in Saudi Arabia.

Upon signing, the serial winner gave Al Nassr executives a list of 'best practices’ and shed light on what improvements he feels needs to be made.

Those within the club are now working on making those suggested adjustments in a bid to become a major force in Asian football.

The 37-year-old is known for demanding the very best and was particularly critical of the dated facilities at United when he returned for a second spell.

Image: Alamy

In the controversial interview with Piers Morgan, which led to his Old Trafford exit, Ronaldo claimed "nothing had changed" since 2009 when he left United for the first time.

Ronaldo's two-and-a-half-year deal will take him to 2025, when he will be 40. But Real Madrid's record goalscorer has always planned to play into his 40s and the report says Al Nassr have not ruled out extending his contract.

They are "convinced" Ronaldo will finish his career at Mrsool Park.

The Portuguese superstar was unable to follow up his two-goal haul for the Riyadh XI against Paris Saint-Germain in his debut but manager Rudi Garcia was happy with his contribution.

Image: Alamy

He did, however, urge his team to "play normally" as opposed to passing to their talisman at every given opportunity.

“It's very important for the players to play normally and not always try to give the ball to Cristiano.

“Tonight, I think that sometimes we had good positions to cross but not enough people in the box, and sometimes no Ronaldo and no Talisca.

“We need to work on that, to have one of them in the box and maybe the other playing outside the box.”

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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