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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr
Josh Lawless
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr
It's nearly a year to the day that Cristiano Ronaldo left European football for the Saudi Pro League and signed one of the biggest contracts in sports.
Following a fall-out with Erik ten Hag and his deal with Manchester United being terminated by mutual consent, Ronaldo penned a contract with Al Nassr.
The move was officially announced on 30 December and Ronaldo is believed to earn a whopping £177-million-a-year, which makes him the highest-paid footballer in the world.
Ronaldo takes home around £3,403,846 per week from Al Nassr and as we approach his one-year anniversary in mere days, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has earned around £175 million from his exploits on the pitch in Saudi.
The Real Madrid legend's switch to Saudi was a pivotal moment as a number of high-profile players have followed in his footsteps.
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Neymar, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Karim Benzema, Jordan Henderson, Kalidou Koulibaly Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin and Ruben Neves are all now playing their trade in the Saudi top flight after a slew of summer moves.
Ronaldo will turn 39 in early February but has continued to bang in the goals in the Middle East.
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He has 41 goals in 48 appearances and helped Al Nassr win the Arab Club Champions Cup for the first time in their history by scoring twice against Al Hilal in the final.
Ronaldo is enjoying his adventure in Saudi and has no plans to return to Europe before he retires.
He also believes the league will soon overtook the Turkish and Dutch leagues.
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"The Saudi league is better than the MLS," Ronaldo told media after playing for Al Nassr in a 5-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in July.
"I'm 100 per cent sure I won't return to any European club. They criticised me for coming to Saudi league, but what happened now? I opened the way to the Saudi league and now all the players are coming here.
"I won't return to European football, the door is completely closed.
"I'm 38-years-old, also European football has lost lot of quality. The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League."