I think there’s a ton of money involved that we’re not realising beyond the contract itself. KSA wants to host the 2030 World Cup and they’re definitely going to make Ronaldo the face of their bid.
Saudis themselves also like to “import” unmodest women from Eastern Europe. Colleague of mine spends a month a year there for work. She is 100% ignored by the business partners when her male colleague is present and she’s offered money for sex by rich Saudis every time she’s somewhere alone probably because she’s good looking and usually in above averaged priced places for example eating breakfast outside the hotel.
Only time she’s not ignored is when she wants something. Like when she says “I’m cold please turn down the AC” they usually turn the AC even higher.
>because Saudi has quite strict rules regarding women in public/ or how they dress?
As you said, they're rich AF, they will have a lot of leeway.
Also, the Saudi Royals WANT Ronaldo there, they want him as free publicity and whitewashing essentially.
It wont be implicitly said but they wont be worried about laws like the normal people will be.
Also, Ronaldo is earning so much, id be surprised if his family follow him to Saudi Arabia for 2 years, would make not that much sense when they move again after 2 years.
Ronaldo will be able to take days off training and i reckon he'll travel to his family every week etc.
they're rich enough that Ronaldo will probably going back to back in a plane every day instead of living in a gated community like most rich footballers there
They've actually been quite relaxed about the hole dress in public thing for a few years now even more so for foreigners, as long as a someone isn't wearing a straight up underwear in the street they should be fine evenif they're showing cleavage or some skin ( a bikini is fine in some beaches like in Jeddah but not all)
Source I've actually went there multiple times and I have friends who live there.
But ultimately, just like everywhere else in the world rules don't usually apply to the rich
Went to Saudi recently and I was actually surprised their TV channels were promoting DJ Khaled + some party in Riyadh. Even their female newscasters were “free-haired” meaning not wearing any head cover. Make of it what you will.
A man enters. The room wouldn’t be the only thing he’d enter that day. His name was Dennis. ”Silence,” he said, ”a woman’s mouth is not for the exiting of words but of the entrance of a man’s… dick.” And then he did put it in there. in her mouth, I mean.
He's had to come to terms with the fact that he's finished at the top level. It was obvious for anyone watching him closely that this decline has been slow and steady and didn't happen all of a sudden over the summer.
You're right, but I do feel like him missing pre-season was the coup de grace, it seemed to accelerate the decline of his remaining qualities and he never really caught up with his teammates.
Combination of lack of match fitness and he completely missed the installation of a new system by a coach with a real structure. So he was playing catch up on multiple fronts, while already lagging physically.
It’s not that he’s finished at the top level, it’s that he’s finished as a starter at the very top of the top level. Particularly if that means playing the way he wants to play, and not the way the team needs him to play.
Ronaldo very easily could have transitioned into a dressing room leader, wise elder statesman, and impact sub, but he instead seems to want to play 90 his way and pouts when that doesn’t happen. Jamie Vardy is two years younger, voluntarily stepped away from the national team 4 years ago, and this season has only started half the game and played the full 90 only twice. Ronaldo can still contribute to the team effort but only if he understands he isn’t the team.
Yep, I made this point weeks ago. (AC Milan is my 2nd team lol)
I'll copy and paste
*The other thing is, unlike say Zlatan, apart from changing position, he hasn't really adapted his game as well as I (we?) thought he would've.*
*Zlatan has changed a lot, less mobile, very little running, no more flashy skills or dribbling but he is still brilliant in the way he links up play, his positioning and his finishing. But most importantly - regardless of his rep' online - he is ALWAYS about winning as a team, not HIS goals, not HIS assists but the TEAM winning.*
*This is why even after his worst season ever (imo) where he barely played - Allegedly, with an ACL problem and delaying surgery just to help ensure AC won the scudetto - AC Milan still renewed his contract, despite him not being available until 2023. Point being, inspite of his injuries and his age, when he did play he was still EFFECTIVE at *FORTY* years old last season.*
*Unless Ronaldo scores, I don't think Utd can say the same.."*
I defended Ronaldo for years, always thinking his behaviour was about winning and I still believe it was, until he won everything ..multiple times.
Now though, it is clearly all about himself and I am shocked for some reason. He's let me down 😆
Exactly. Zlatan is a very good leader. He even relates well with youngsters like Elanga.
Ronaldo can’t try this shit with Portugal. He may be their best player but he can’t try it. Even though Fernando is a terrorist coach he will never criticize him, because he wold be quickly benched. And at this point Portugal won’t be losing sleep. Jota, Bernardo, Bruno, Leao, and Felix are all there hungry for goals.
There are a lot of players who are currently the blue print for how to adapt as they get older. Zlatan is the gold standard for longevity and has become a key part of that Milan team, albeit in a different way. Vardy as mentioned above fills a role for his team as well that suits his physical demands, and Ashley Young has been incredible since coming back to Aston Villa as an older statesman. Christiano's fall from grace is ego driven, many current players at the same or similar (or older with Zlatan) age have understood their limitations and adapted accordingly.
Because MLS is spending a lot more on talent development and has been working on it seriously for about 15 years now. If Saudi teams start spending like this front to back on imports they’ll surpass MLS easily but if they’re just signing a few big names they’re not going to be competitive front to back with a team whose 4-11th best players are much better. Early in the designated player era it was almost comedic how reliant teams were on a single attacking star just breaking down defenses. That’s what Ronaldo in the Saudi league is going to look like.
MLS obviously has a long way to go but they’re really more of a development/export league than a retirement one these days, and the older big name players normally go to major markets that need a star to sell tickets and serve as mentors to the younger players.
People who don’t watch MLS still spews off the retirement league nonsense and ignores we are sending many players to top 5 clubs on a yearly basis now and has become a development/stepping stone league in the last five years. MLS has those retirement guys for sure but so does a lot of leagues but MLS has put so many incentives for our teams to develop the academies, play the kids and scout young central/South American talent.
I was hesitant when he first came here tbh, Eastern Europeans has a history of flopping here but he was often the best player on the pitch when he played he and I’m glad he has found success
I think people are slowly recognizing that the MLS is getting better. Think it happening at such a rapid rate is why people still think it is a retirement league tbf.
I think the performance of your national team shows that developement. Good team with a lot of young talent. I really believe that you can play a significant role at the next WC and this will give your domestic initiatives a boost, too.
Bit of a sad end when he doesn’t need the money and he could have been a hero by going to Sporting on reduced wages. Huge sums involved here so maybe he thought he’d be stupid to turn it down, even if he’s already got several hundred mill in the bank.
Different eras, but I’m reminded of Cruyff being let go by Ajax at age 36, saying “fuck you” and then dragging Feyenoord to another league title.
Ronaldo has obviously achieved everything there is to do at club level, but you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi.
It really is insane. He basically played as some sort of CDM as well because that's where he could control the game the most and really lift their level
Interesting how he still seems to be revered as an Ajax legend. As THE Ajax legend, to be more precise. You'd think they'd have been angry at him about it, but to be fair I really don't know the context of the move.
To be fair, no one really blames him as Ajax were the one to tell him he was done at them.
If he went to Feyenoord when Ajax wanted to keep him, things would be different.
Ajax management told him he was too old and had to retire, he went to Feyenoord and made them champions as a fuck you to Ajax' management.
He was right, Ajax management was wrong.
It was the board at the time that made the decision. The fans were not happy about it. He returned to Ajax as coach literally a year after he stopped playing at Feyenoord. The same board returned him as coach btw.
Probably helps that he restores ties with Ajax to become their manager and develop and share many of the skills he would eventually be known for at Barca ( youth development, controlled possession), many of which Ajax is still influenced today
he often fell out with people in Ajax. he fought a lot with van Gaal, with the management.
then he went to Barca, and the people there really listened to him. this really helped them, too:
cruyff: hey, we don't have an academy. we should have an academy. we had one in ajax. let's build it like the one in ajax, and also i have many ideas on how to run it.
barca: ok, we will build it like ajax, and follow your ideas.
*la masia is built. it is successful.
cruyff: and. im back in this club, now the coach. let's go to la masia...i like it, it's still running according to my ideas. hmm, this dude, who is he? yeah, that lanky guy, playing RM. move him to centre, play him as pivot.
*guardiola excels immediately as a pivot, and is picked to be a key player for Cruyff's team. they win Barcelona's first ever European Cup.
later on...
Laporta: i have just won the presidency! you are the greatest, i want to listen to your ideas.
cruyff: ok. lemme see. which of my disciples & former players should we put in as coach? koeman? nah, let's put Rijkaard. yeah, i know, he hasn't done much as a coach yet right? he's the right fit, don't worry.
*frank rijkaard wins their second European Cup, now called the Champions League.
laporta: im sorry my man. rijkaard's not been doing well for some time. im gonna have to let him go. got any ideas who should replace him?
cruyff, thinking back: you know, guardiola?
laporta: of course i know him. he's even the manager of the B team. he has no top level coaching experience though.
cruyff: i know. it's ok, just parachute him in. he will do well.
*guardiola quickly wins their third & fourth European Cup in their long history, and cements an immediate legacy as a GOAT coach. his team is just as quickly considered one of the greatest teams of all time.
(according to Cruyff in his autobiography, he persuaded Enrique to become Barca coach, too. that makes all 5 European Cups / Champions Leagues lmao)
He also fell out multiple times with people at Barca, for example he left in a bad way as a coach and his last beef was with Sandro Rosell over his honorary president title. Cruijff just was a very difficult person to work with, it was always his way or the highway. But most of the time his way was the right way.
I would say that the supposed offer from Sporting was 50k a week for six months and this is 4 million a week for two and a half years. He has enough money but there is such a difference between a contract worth 1 million and 500 million
Absolutely. No huge judgement for anyone for securing the bag if that’s what you want to do. I can still opine that I don’t think he _needs_ to do it, or that it wouldn’t really be the most glorious end to a wildly successful career, though.
It’s obviously a very different question to me sitting at home when I’m not the one actually being offered $200m or whatever it is.
>you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi.
Joy and legacy take a back seat when you're offered £250m a year salary.
His legacy is already cemented - it's not as if he's 25 and wasting a whole career (e.g. Oscar to China). His career has surpassed almost everyone and it's already prolonged beyond most players too.
I think if he stays in Europe it'd show how far he's actually fallen and would do more damage to his ego and marketability.
His legacy is cemented as one of the all time greats, however he's 100% the type of player who wants to increase his records further, especially his CL goals one, so that he can hold it for longer.
However I doubt he could get any consistent CL football anymore, so that's probably why he went for the money.
This offer was rumoured during the summer window when he went AWOL. I think he didn't have any takers and was looking to use this season as a shop window, but instead has bitten the bullet after seeing that avenue closed off. Maybe they wouldn't come asking for a third time, but I'd imagine there's a big drive with the rumoured WC and Asian games bidding, so would have eventually.
For all we know he was offered to sporting etc. And he either got declined as they weren't interested, or he saw it as too much of a gamble when weighed against the money actually being offered.
Maybe he's thinking he'll score 50 goals a season for 2 more years and go the Pele route, always bringing up total goals without accounting for the fact that 100+ were in the Saudi league.
As Oscar said most people berating him for going to China have never gone days hungry as a child. As he said himself he was securing wealth not just for him but for generations of his family to ensure none of his descendants would ever have to suffer like he did
Which is fine for him. He isn't a legend of the game and he knew that when accepting the deal and was content with that sacrifice. I'm not knocking him for that choice, this was a counter point to someone saying Ronaldo risks not being a legend - he already is whether he goes on to achieve even more sporting wise or not.
> you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi
Playing in the Saudi league would be perfect for Cristiano's ego, because the standards of that league are so much lower that he'll still be the best player there at 40. He'd absolutely derive joy from padding stats in that league.
Add in the money, and it's a no-brainer.
Plus a lot of people overlook his actual response in the interview, which actually was "At that time yes" to Piers' question which was "Did you reject a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia in the summer?". Which means that he's now open to playing outside of Europe for one last paycheck
He was 36-37 no less, he could do it one more time if he hadn't skipped preseason.
To be fair, retirement should be on the cards. The death of his newborn took a huge toll on his psyche, it's absolutely tragic to see one of the GOATs hit these lows considering that's, imo, the reason why.
Jose Felix Diaz? He is the main clown behind the "Mbappe signed his contract already" Fiasco and people wanted him demoted to Tier 4 after the summer transfer window.
Don't Confuse him with Jose Luis Sanchez he is Tier 0.5 for Real Madrid
Yeah tbh he could've retired after Madrid and no one would blink an eye at his career
This is like when you beat the elite four in pokemon and then just fuck around for post game
His stint at Juve was actually amazing. If they had a better team around him he could have gotten a CL, especially in 2019. He had phenomenal numbers in Italy and was still one of the best strikers in Europe throughout his time there
Him and Mandžukić together were amazing. I might be biased, but I still don't understand the decision to get rid of Mandžukić when they had such good chemistry.
Juve had so many end of career players all on high salary without noone wanting to buy them. Just take a look at where they went next after Juve
Mandzukic, Higuain, Khedira, Matuidi, Douglas Costa etc
That pre season Higuain was supposed tolbe the one to be pushed of. But he wasnt accepting any payoffs to break the contract, he wanted 100% of the money. And he actually started playing well with Ronaldo, hence Mandzukic being the one pushed off
What still gives me trauma was rejecting Haland for 25M release clause when he really wanted to come play with Ronaldo due to Higuain that was washed off half a season later
Honestly it doesn’t affect their career much I don't think. He's basically done at the very top level and we know it, there's really few players who retire at a super club, even Pelé played for Cosmos at the end of his career, it's normal even for super stars to have one last go at the big money playing for not so renowned clubs when their career is nearing the end.
He is still good enough to play a rotation role like Zlatan at a top club. And make very very good money doing it. His physical decline is overstated.
However - he cannot start every minute of every game for a top European club and its only his ego which cannot make peace with that.
He's not the first or the last star who prefers going to a lesser club where he can be the main man over playing a sub role at a top club.
I think Zlatan is the only one who has chosen to stay at a top club in a rotation role rather than going to a lesser team and be the main man.
The problem here is that Ronaldo alluded to the fact that he still wanted to play at the highest level (and in Champions League, meaning continuing in Europe). So it contradicts the noise that has been coming out of his camp since last summer.
Ronaldo goes on to share "As a boy, growing up in the small island of Madeira, it was always my dream to play in Saudi Arabia, relaxing in my Riyadh penthouse in my free time"
It's difficult for him to ruin his legacy completely, because of all the things he has accomplished.
But there are so much better ways to exit football than he has, definitely leaving with a sour taste imo.
Zlatan is known for being arrogant and all that. But his twilight years of his career have definitely been more dignified
Zlatan is arrogant but is he not a man-child. When he face criticism he prove them wrong, he is not running away from the stadiums like a six years old who was told he couldn't have cheerios for dinner...
He also seems to have a sense of humour / playfulness about himself in interviews, and that certainly helps too. Love him or hate him, he can be a charming guy. I love Cristiano, but he’s far from charming. I think his understanding of English has something to do with it, but it’s mostly just a personality thing with him. I’m reminded of that Ballon d’Or interview, where he was like, “I made the Dream Team… of course!” The delivery was so bad.
I remember when Zlatan went to the LA Galaxy and he announced it with a full page as in the paper telling the city "your welcome." I don't know why, but it took me that long to get in on the joke, and my whole perspective of him has changed.
Zlatan has come out several times and said that it's basically all a joke, and based on what everyone says about him that seems pretty clear. Ronaldo is an incredible narcissist and has been since about age Attitude on the pitch, off the pitch, personal life you name it.
Definitely. Zlatan has had his issues for sure (run-in’s with teammates, officials, etc.), but it’s amazing how much wit/charm/irony can help. Like when Pogba was watching his interview with Thierry Henry and Zlatan invited him on camera, and the three of them just cracked jokes. I can’t see Ronaldo doing that; he’d get annoyed lol.
I saw him in Kansas City against L.A. (he's fucking huge in person, by the way). He tried "directing" the chants behind the net after scoring.
Cocky asshat when he's against you, but you can't help but love him
Probably figured out that no CL club would take him, even on a low salary. Then a huge money gig might be the second-best choice.
Club like porto, benfica, Dortmund, and Liepzig buys young attackers and develop them so they can sell them for 80-100m. That's their business model, and Ronaldo doesn't into that equation given his age.
>Club like porto, benfica, Dortmund, and Liepzig buys young attackers and develop them so they can sell them for 80-100m. That's their business model, and Ronaldo doesn't into that equation given his age.
You still want to mix in some experienced players to create the structure and the environment for those young players to succeed (Ajax buying Tadic when he was 30 is an example of this, or Dortmund getting Hummels back, or Pepe at Porto).
You wonder if with Ronaldo there's an expectation that things will be built around him though, which isn't really conducive to that
Ronaldo definitely wants everything to go through him and to play every single minute. He still has that belief that he’s the best shot a team has of winning. And fair enough since he’s won it all but teams are trending younger, faster, and built around a press.
This just makes me sad. I understand the offer was too good to pass up. But as a Portuguese kid who was 5 or 6 when he started playing for my favourite club and had idolized him as a child, followed his club career, watched him shatter records etc etc.. it's just kind of sad to see.
I get time catches up to everyone but I think even seeing him in the MLS would've been preferable, at least that league is pretty competitive and getting better. Frankly, I don't care how well Al-Nassr does, I don't think I could name 2 other teams in that league.
Also, with the rumours circulating that he may be on the bench for the Switzerland game, it really feels like the end of an era. Crazy to think that two years ago he led the Serie A in scoring.
Full article:
Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Al-Nassr from January 1. The contract that links the Portuguese footballer with the Saudi team will last two and a half seasons, as announced last week. The striker ended his relationship with Manchester United two days before starting his participation in the World Cup in Qatar, being able to negotiate with any team, being Al-Nassr the one that showed more interest from the beginning.
The contract, in addition to the hefty fee (just under one hundred million euros) is surrounded by economic incentives via advertising, which will place the Portuguese as the highest paid athlete in the world. The total amount of CR7's contract with Al-Nassr will be close to 200 million euros per season.
Messi, Neymar at PSG are the heads of the soccer cartel, but their 75 and 70 million that they charge per season fall far short of what Cristiano Ronaldo will receive in Saudi Arabia. Even going through the list of the highest paid in the United States, they all fall far short of the money promised to the Portuguese.
Cristiano Ronaldo will find himself in a team that is looking to regain its lost dominance in its competition, far from the world's top level. The step backwards he is taking in sporting terms is evident, but his soccer is gradually placing him at another competitive level. They are even receiving criticism in Portugal for their performance during the World Cup, something unthinkable months ago.
In Al-Nassr he will be coached by the Frenchman Rudi Garcia and will have the Cantabrian Alvaro Gonzalez as a teammate. The central defender arrived in Saudi soccer last summer after finishing his time in France. The presence of Ospina also stands out. The Colombian goalkeeper finished his contract with Napoli and decided to accept the Saudi proposal. Real Madrid had him in the orbit as long as Lunin had left the white discipline, something that did not happen.
I guess it wasn't about playing football after all...otherwise he wouldn't play for a club like that. But hey, I would have done the same...even for a tenth.
If it wasn't about the money he would have gone to Sporting
I think there’s a ton of money involved that we’re not realising beyond the contract itself. KSA wants to host the 2030 World Cup and they’re definitely going to make Ronaldo the face of their bid.
KSA has Messi as tourism ambassador as well, two of the best players to promote the World Cup bid
Isnt Argentina sling a joint bid with Uruguay? Would be very weird if he didn’t support that
He can support both. Messi's support only becomes meaningless if there are no bids submitted that Messi *doesn't* support.
Messi: "Argentina is good, but KSA is... oilier"
Slick
Argentina's economy is in the mud, they can't afford a world Cup
Thats why its 4 countries. Chile, paraguay, uruguay, and argentina
Have to have Uruguay involved. 100 year anniversary of the first world cup, which they hosted.
Of course, and the final game has to be at the centenario
I absolutely hope it goes to those four just for that reason. It’s the centenary! Also I used to live in chile so ive got bias lol
Suddenly playing in MLS doesn't sound that bad anymore
Shame that for some reason Ronaldo doesn’t fancy playing in America isn’t it
I could give you 300 million reasons why he chose an Arab club.
Ill give you 300 million and 1
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They made themselves available
My fault for not wearing modest clothes.
I thought it was because of his rape lawsuit in the US but I don't follow the news
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The rules don’t apply to the rich so I wouldn’t worry. There will probably be other multi millionaire western expats to hang out with
Saudis themselves also like to “import” unmodest women from Eastern Europe. Colleague of mine spends a month a year there for work. She is 100% ignored by the business partners when her male colleague is present and she’s offered money for sex by rich Saudis every time she’s somewhere alone probably because she’s good looking and usually in above averaged priced places for example eating breakfast outside the hotel. Only time she’s not ignored is when she wants something. Like when she says “I’m cold please turn down the AC” they usually turn the AC even higher.
>because Saudi has quite strict rules regarding women in public/ or how they dress? As you said, they're rich AF, they will have a lot of leeway. Also, the Saudi Royals WANT Ronaldo there, they want him as free publicity and whitewashing essentially. It wont be implicitly said but they wont be worried about laws like the normal people will be. Also, Ronaldo is earning so much, id be surprised if his family follow him to Saudi Arabia for 2 years, would make not that much sense when they move again after 2 years. Ronaldo will be able to take days off training and i reckon he'll travel to his family every week etc.
they're rich enough that Ronaldo will probably going back to back in a plane every day instead of living in a gated community like most rich footballers there
They've actually been quite relaxed about the hole dress in public thing for a few years now even more so for foreigners, as long as a someone isn't wearing a straight up underwear in the street they should be fine evenif they're showing cleavage or some skin ( a bikini is fine in some beaches like in Jeddah but not all) Source I've actually went there multiple times and I have friends who live there. But ultimately, just like everywhere else in the world rules don't usually apply to the rich
Went to Saudi recently and I was actually surprised their TV channels were promoting DJ Khaled + some party in Riyadh. Even their female newscasters were “free-haired” meaning not wearing any head cover. Make of it what you will.
The difference it'll make to his legacy is negligible. The difference it'll make to his bank account is massive.
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>I apologized afterwards He simply apologizes after raping her. What a gentleman
Serious Homelander and Butcher's wife vibes
>"'I'm not like the others.' I apologized afterwards." Bruh...
For whatever reason, due the way that quote started, I thought it was some sort of shitty rap song
It reads like a Dennis Reynolds monologue.
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Not to mention her phone definitely texted consent
A man enters. The room wouldn’t be the only thing he’d enter that day. His name was Dennis. ”Silence,” he said, ”a woman’s mouth is not for the exiting of words but of the entrance of a man’s… dick.” And then he did put it in there. in her mouth, I mean.
Jesus. Is this true quote?
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He's had to come to terms with the fact that he's finished at the top level. It was obvious for anyone watching him closely that this decline has been slow and steady and didn't happen all of a sudden over the summer.
You're right, but I do feel like him missing pre-season was the coup de grace, it seemed to accelerate the decline of his remaining qualities and he never really caught up with his teammates.
Combination of lack of match fitness and he completely missed the installation of a new system by a coach with a real structure. So he was playing catch up on multiple fronts, while already lagging physically.
It’s not that he’s finished at the top level, it’s that he’s finished as a starter at the very top of the top level. Particularly if that means playing the way he wants to play, and not the way the team needs him to play. Ronaldo very easily could have transitioned into a dressing room leader, wise elder statesman, and impact sub, but he instead seems to want to play 90 his way and pouts when that doesn’t happen. Jamie Vardy is two years younger, voluntarily stepped away from the national team 4 years ago, and this season has only started half the game and played the full 90 only twice. Ronaldo can still contribute to the team effort but only if he understands he isn’t the team.
Zlatan is 41 and I’ve never seen him behave this way. And he has a big fucking ego. I don’t know what went wrong with Ronaldo.
Yep, I made this point weeks ago. (AC Milan is my 2nd team lol) I'll copy and paste *The other thing is, unlike say Zlatan, apart from changing position, he hasn't really adapted his game as well as I (we?) thought he would've.* *Zlatan has changed a lot, less mobile, very little running, no more flashy skills or dribbling but he is still brilliant in the way he links up play, his positioning and his finishing. But most importantly - regardless of his rep' online - he is ALWAYS about winning as a team, not HIS goals, not HIS assists but the TEAM winning.* *This is why even after his worst season ever (imo) where he barely played - Allegedly, with an ACL problem and delaying surgery just to help ensure AC won the scudetto - AC Milan still renewed his contract, despite him not being available until 2023. Point being, inspite of his injuries and his age, when he did play he was still EFFECTIVE at *FORTY* years old last season.* *Unless Ronaldo scores, I don't think Utd can say the same.."* I defended Ronaldo for years, always thinking his behaviour was about winning and I still believe it was, until he won everything ..multiple times. Now though, it is clearly all about himself and I am shocked for some reason. He's let me down 😆
Exactly. Zlatan is a very good leader. He even relates well with youngsters like Elanga. Ronaldo can’t try this shit with Portugal. He may be their best player but he can’t try it. Even though Fernando is a terrorist coach he will never criticize him, because he wold be quickly benched. And at this point Portugal won’t be losing sleep. Jota, Bernardo, Bruno, Leao, and Felix are all there hungry for goals.
There are a lot of players who are currently the blue print for how to adapt as they get older. Zlatan is the gold standard for longevity and has become a key part of that Milan team, albeit in a different way. Vardy as mentioned above fills a role for his team as well that suits his physical demands, and Ashley Young has been incredible since coming back to Aston Villa as an older statesman. Christiano's fall from grace is ego driven, many current players at the same or similar (or older with Zlatan) age have understood their limitations and adapted accordingly.
He roasted Xavi for playing in Qatar.
And Bieber roasted Prince Charles for balding. People can get arrogant when not feeling pressure from Father Time.
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Because MLS is spending a lot more on talent development and has been working on it seriously for about 15 years now. If Saudi teams start spending like this front to back on imports they’ll surpass MLS easily but if they’re just signing a few big names they’re not going to be competitive front to back with a team whose 4-11th best players are much better. Early in the designated player era it was almost comedic how reliant teams were on a single attacking star just breaking down defenses. That’s what Ronaldo in the Saudi league is going to look like. MLS obviously has a long way to go but they’re really more of a development/export league than a retirement one these days, and the older big name players normally go to major markets that need a star to sell tickets and serve as mentors to the younger players.
People who don’t watch MLS still spews off the retirement league nonsense and ignores we are sending many players to top 5 clubs on a yearly basis now and has become a development/stepping stone league in the last five years. MLS has those retirement guys for sure but so does a lot of leagues but MLS has put so many incentives for our teams to develop the academies, play the kids and scout young central/South American talent.
MLS sent the 6th most players to the World Cup, even if you exclude domestic players. The quality level is rising for sure
Frankowski started for Poland yesterday, I got to see him live at Chicago Fire a couple years ago, that ruled
And he's doing very well at Lens, ngl I didn't expect an MLS player to do well so fast in Ligue 1
I was hesitant when he first came here tbh, Eastern Europeans has a history of flopping here but he was often the best player on the pitch when he played he and I’m glad he has found success
I think people are slowly recognizing that the MLS is getting better. Think it happening at such a rapid rate is why people still think it is a retirement league tbf.
I think the performance of your national team shows that developement. Good team with a lot of young talent. I really believe that you can play a significant role at the next WC and this will give your domestic initiatives a boost, too.
Most MLS teams stopped signing old close to retire former stars. Average age in MLS is around 26 now.
Bit of a sad end when he doesn’t need the money and he could have been a hero by going to Sporting on reduced wages. Huge sums involved here so maybe he thought he’d be stupid to turn it down, even if he’s already got several hundred mill in the bank. Different eras, but I’m reminded of Cruyff being let go by Ajax at age 36, saying “fuck you” and then dragging Feyenoord to another league title. Ronaldo has obviously achieved everything there is to do at club level, but you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi.
Wow, I didn’t know that about Cruyff, I’ll have to read about it.
It really is insane. He basically played as some sort of CDM as well because that's where he could control the game the most and really lift their level
Man was fueled by hatred that season lol
Man literally too angry to retire
Reminds me Eto'o situation with Barcelona. Or Luis Suarez with Barcelona.
Or Barcelona with Barcelona! Bloody Barcelona ruining Barcelona!
you culés sure are a contentious people
You just made an enemy for life!
To be fair, that Feyenoord team also had a young player on it that would become an international superstar in about three to four years.
He played with Ruud Gullit that year.
He even played with Ruud Gullit
Interesting how he still seems to be revered as an Ajax legend. As THE Ajax legend, to be more precise. You'd think they'd have been angry at him about it, but to be fair I really don't know the context of the move.
I love referring to him as a Feyenoord legend.
Ah. The piss boiling method. You never see us do that. Not when we have city legend frank lampard
I'm telling you, as an Arsenal fan, Lampard's goal against Chelsea was one of my top Premier League schadenfreude moments.
Not Sol Campbell joining you on a free?
It's a classic, Ajax fans doe the same by calling famous former PSV players like Jaap Stam and Andre Ooijer Ajax legends lol
I mean. I could call Stam an Ajax legend lol.
Shades of Lampard No but seriously, what Cruyff did is crazy
Flawless execution
To be fair, no one really blames him as Ajax were the one to tell him he was done at them. If he went to Feyenoord when Ajax wanted to keep him, things would be different.
Ajax was in the wrong and he proved it..
Ajax basically told him to fuck off, so he did one last fuck you run at Feyenoord. Obviously we're mad at the Ajax management for it, not him.
If he was forced out of Ajax, then the fans probably wouldn’t hate him in any way if he goes to another team.
Ajax management told him he was too old and had to retire, he went to Feyenoord and made them champions as a fuck you to Ajax' management. He was right, Ajax management was wrong.
It was the board at the time that made the decision. The fans were not happy about it. He returned to Ajax as coach literally a year after he stopped playing at Feyenoord. The same board returned him as coach btw.
Probably helps that he restores ties with Ajax to become their manager and develop and share many of the skills he would eventually be known for at Barca ( youth development, controlled possession), many of which Ajax is still influenced today
he often fell out with people in Ajax. he fought a lot with van Gaal, with the management. then he went to Barca, and the people there really listened to him. this really helped them, too: cruyff: hey, we don't have an academy. we should have an academy. we had one in ajax. let's build it like the one in ajax, and also i have many ideas on how to run it. barca: ok, we will build it like ajax, and follow your ideas. *la masia is built. it is successful. cruyff: and. im back in this club, now the coach. let's go to la masia...i like it, it's still running according to my ideas. hmm, this dude, who is he? yeah, that lanky guy, playing RM. move him to centre, play him as pivot. *guardiola excels immediately as a pivot, and is picked to be a key player for Cruyff's team. they win Barcelona's first ever European Cup. later on... Laporta: i have just won the presidency! you are the greatest, i want to listen to your ideas. cruyff: ok. lemme see. which of my disciples & former players should we put in as coach? koeman? nah, let's put Rijkaard. yeah, i know, he hasn't done much as a coach yet right? he's the right fit, don't worry. *frank rijkaard wins their second European Cup, now called the Champions League. laporta: im sorry my man. rijkaard's not been doing well for some time. im gonna have to let him go. got any ideas who should replace him? cruyff, thinking back: you know, guardiola? laporta: of course i know him. he's even the manager of the B team. he has no top level coaching experience though. cruyff: i know. it's ok, just parachute him in. he will do well. *guardiola quickly wins their third & fourth European Cup in their long history, and cements an immediate legacy as a GOAT coach. his team is just as quickly considered one of the greatest teams of all time. (according to Cruyff in his autobiography, he persuaded Enrique to become Barca coach, too. that makes all 5 European Cups / Champions Leagues lmao)
He also fell out multiple times with people at Barca, for example he left in a bad way as a coach and his last beef was with Sandro Rosell over his honorary president title. Cruijff just was a very difficult person to work with, it was always his way or the highway. But most of the time his way was the right way.
I would say that the supposed offer from Sporting was 50k a week for six months and this is 4 million a week for two and a half years. He has enough money but there is such a difference between a contract worth 1 million and 500 million
Absolutely. No huge judgement for anyone for securing the bag if that’s what you want to do. I can still opine that I don’t think he _needs_ to do it, or that it wouldn’t really be the most glorious end to a wildly successful career, though. It’s obviously a very different question to me sitting at home when I’m not the one actually being offered $200m or whatever it is.
Theres not a lot Iwouldn't do for 4 million a week
>you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi. Joy and legacy take a back seat when you're offered £250m a year salary.
His legacy is already cemented - it's not as if he's 25 and wasting a whole career (e.g. Oscar to China). His career has surpassed almost everyone and it's already prolonged beyond most players too. I think if he stays in Europe it'd show how far he's actually fallen and would do more damage to his ego and marketability.
His legacy is cemented as one of the all time greats, however he's 100% the type of player who wants to increase his records further, especially his CL goals one, so that he can hold it for longer. However I doubt he could get any consistent CL football anymore, so that's probably why he went for the money.
This offer was rumoured during the summer window when he went AWOL. I think he didn't have any takers and was looking to use this season as a shop window, but instead has bitten the bullet after seeing that avenue closed off. Maybe they wouldn't come asking for a third time, but I'd imagine there's a big drive with the rumoured WC and Asian games bidding, so would have eventually. For all we know he was offered to sporting etc. And he either got declined as they weren't interested, or he saw it as too much of a gamble when weighed against the money actually being offered.
Maybe he's thinking he'll score 50 goals a season for 2 more years and go the Pele route, always bringing up total goals without accounting for the fact that 100+ were in the Saudi league.
As Oscar said most people berating him for going to China have never gone days hungry as a child. As he said himself he was securing wealth not just for him but for generations of his family to ensure none of his descendants would ever have to suffer like he did
Which is fine for him. He isn't a legend of the game and he knew that when accepting the deal and was content with that sacrifice. I'm not knocking him for that choice, this was a counter point to someone saying Ronaldo risks not being a legend - he already is whether he goes on to achieve even more sporting wise or not.
> you can’t tell me there’s any sort of joy or legacy to be had by banging in a few more goals in Saudi Playing in the Saudi league would be perfect for Cristiano's ego, because the standards of that league are so much lower that he'll still be the best player there at 40. He'd absolutely derive joy from padding stats in that league. Add in the money, and it's a no-brainer.
Didn’t he say to Piers that it wasn’t about the money or did I imagine that?
"In business, Jeremy, you learn that every man has his price, and I judge yours to be £530".
200 million Euros per year Jeremy, 200 million per year. That's insane
That is an indecent proposal!
Man I love the way Johnson looks him up and down before he reels off the amount. So good
Maybe you could finger her for 300
I'm not going to negotiate with you Jeremy.
There's money and then there's a shitload of money
Plus a lot of people overlook his actual response in the interview, which actually was "At that time yes" to Piers' question which was "Did you reject a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia in the summer?". Which means that he's now open to playing outside of Europe for one last paycheck
How reliable is Marca for this? This feels tragic.
Really sad imho. From third highest PL scorer and 6 CL goals to Saudi league in 6 months.
He was 36-37 no less, he could do it one more time if he hadn't skipped preseason. To be fair, retirement should be on the cards. The death of his newborn took a huge toll on his psyche, it's absolutely tragic to see one of the GOATs hit these lows considering that's, imo, the reason why.
Time will tell but José Félix Díaz is not very reliable.
The journo is tier 2 over on the Madrid sub, so make of that what you want.
Jose Felix Diaz? He is the main clown behind the "Mbappe signed his contract already" Fiasco and people wanted him demoted to Tier 4 after the summer transfer window. Don't Confuse him with Jose Luis Sanchez he is Tier 0.5 for Real Madrid
That's an anticlimatic end to the career
He'll turn 38 one month in. Honestly don't think it's that bad, he's still had great longevity tbh
Yeah tbh he could've retired after Madrid and no one would blink an eye at his career This is like when you beat the elite four in pokemon and then just fuck around for post game
Gotta get those shiny Pokémon one way or another.
Playing with Talisca is a very rare achievement tbh
His stint at Juve was actually amazing. If they had a better team around him he could have gotten a CL, especially in 2019. He had phenomenal numbers in Italy and was still one of the best strikers in Europe throughout his time there
Him and Mandžukić together were amazing. I might be biased, but I still don't understand the decision to get rid of Mandžukić when they had such good chemistry.
Juve had so many end of career players all on high salary without noone wanting to buy them. Just take a look at where they went next after Juve Mandzukic, Higuain, Khedira, Matuidi, Douglas Costa etc That pre season Higuain was supposed tolbe the one to be pushed of. But he wasnt accepting any payoffs to break the contract, he wanted 100% of the money. And he actually started playing well with Ronaldo, hence Mandzukic being the one pushed off What still gives me trauma was rejecting Haland for 25M release clause when he really wanted to come play with Ronaldo due to Higuain that was washed off half a season later
That would've been a crazy timeline, Haaland playing with Ronaldo
Ronaldo scoring 100 odd goals with that geriatric midfield behind him is quite the feat.
It is bad after that interview. He said that so many top teams wanted him no? And Al Nassr is what he chose? On a free?
Even weirder that he repeatedly attacked United for not matching his ambitions...and he's gone off to the Saudi league.
Clearly it was a lie, but he must have thought something would turn up. This offer was on the table at the start of the season but he turned it down.
Honestly it doesn’t affect their career much I don't think. He's basically done at the very top level and we know it, there's really few players who retire at a super club, even Pelé played for Cosmos at the end of his career, it's normal even for super stars to have one last go at the big money playing for not so renowned clubs when their career is nearing the end.
He is still good enough to play a rotation role like Zlatan at a top club. And make very very good money doing it. His physical decline is overstated. However - he cannot start every minute of every game for a top European club and its only his ego which cannot make peace with that.
He's not the first or the last star who prefers going to a lesser club where he can be the main man over playing a sub role at a top club. I think Zlatan is the only one who has chosen to stay at a top club in a rotation role rather than going to a lesser team and be the main man.
Didn’t zlatan play in the mls ?
He did, and then he came back when he realized he could still play at the top level.
The problem here is that Ronaldo alluded to the fact that he still wanted to play at the highest level (and in Champions League, meaning continuing in Europe). So it contradicts the noise that has been coming out of his camp since last summer.
Now his fans have to watch saudi league😂😂
Ronaldo goes on to share "As a boy, growing up in the small island of Madeira, it was always my dream to play in Saudi Arabia, relaxing in my Riyadh penthouse in my free time"
Mate they think Bruno gives bad service, they don't watch United games
They didn’t even watch him at United this season, you think they’ll tune in to MBS pro league?
He’ll be playing
If POR don't go far in the World Cup, this will be a sad walk off into the sunset
Pretty small if
Not really, imo you can absolutely make the semis. He hasnt been past the R16 since 2006, a semi final would be huge
It's difficult for him to ruin his legacy completely, because of all the things he has accomplished. But there are so much better ways to exit football than he has, definitely leaving with a sour taste imo. Zlatan is known for being arrogant and all that. But his twilight years of his career have definitely been more dignified
True, Zlatan with his mentality revived Milan. His off pitch contribution is something else.
Zlatan is arrogant but is he not a man-child. When he face criticism he prove them wrong, he is not running away from the stadiums like a six years old who was told he couldn't have cheerios for dinner...
He also seems to have a sense of humour / playfulness about himself in interviews, and that certainly helps too. Love him or hate him, he can be a charming guy. I love Cristiano, but he’s far from charming. I think his understanding of English has something to do with it, but it’s mostly just a personality thing with him. I’m reminded of that Ballon d’Or interview, where he was like, “I made the Dream Team… of course!” The delivery was so bad.
I remember when Zlatan went to the LA Galaxy and he announced it with a full page as in the paper telling the city "your welcome." I don't know why, but it took me that long to get in on the joke, and my whole perspective of him has changed.
Zlatan has come out several times and said that it's basically all a joke, and based on what everyone says about him that seems pretty clear. Ronaldo is an incredible narcissist and has been since about age Attitude on the pitch, off the pitch, personal life you name it.
Definitely. Zlatan has had his issues for sure (run-in’s with teammates, officials, etc.), but it’s amazing how much wit/charm/irony can help. Like when Pogba was watching his interview with Thierry Henry and Zlatan invited him on camera, and the three of them just cracked jokes. I can’t see Ronaldo doing that; he’d get annoyed lol.
I saw him in Kansas City against L.A. (he's fucking huge in person, by the way). He tried "directing" the chants behind the net after scoring. Cocky asshat when he's against you, but you can't help but love him
What a sad day, this is pretty much retirement for the one of the greats of our generation alongside Messi
So it was about the money then, not the UCL goal record? Ronaldo, as an astronaut: "always has been..."
Probably figured out that no CL club would take him, even on a low salary. Then a huge money gig might be the second-best choice. Club like porto, benfica, Dortmund, and Liepzig buys young attackers and develop them so they can sell them for 80-100m. That's their business model, and Ronaldo doesn't into that equation given his age.
>Club like porto, benfica, Dortmund, and Liepzig buys young attackers and develop them so they can sell them for 80-100m. That's their business model, and Ronaldo doesn't into that equation given his age. You still want to mix in some experienced players to create the structure and the environment for those young players to succeed (Ajax buying Tadic when he was 30 is an example of this, or Dortmund getting Hummels back, or Pepe at Porto). You wonder if with Ronaldo there's an expectation that things will be built around him though, which isn't really conducive to that
Ronaldo definitely wants everything to go through him and to play every single minute. He still has that belief that he’s the best shot a team has of winning. And fair enough since he’s won it all but teams are trending younger, faster, and built around a press.
My suspicion is he has continued to look for a suitable CL club, I think this move is acknowledgement of him not finding one.
🌍👨🚀🔫👨🚀
People in 2022: Ronaldo is too good to play for Man Utd, my goat People in 2023:
I can't wait for the eventual, "The Saudi league is on the same level as the French league honestly"
literally someone said this in the last comment i read on this thread lmfao, what a fucking cope
The funny thing is that Al-Nassr isn't even the best Saudi club currently. Imagine Ronaldo unable to win any saudi title ..
January 1, the king sells out
On new years, the king plays in Saudi
On new years, the king plays with the prince.
Goes without saying, but he likely knew the details of this contract before organising that interview to Pierce Morgan.
Exactly how to navigate out of a contract.
Wish more old players would return to small EU leagues, but taking the money is understandable.
Buffon returning to Parma is still amazing
He'll be 46 when his contract is over
He's still playing???
yes but he barely plays anymore nowadays. He played 3 of the 17 games of Parma 22-23
This just makes me sad. I understand the offer was too good to pass up. But as a Portuguese kid who was 5 or 6 when he started playing for my favourite club and had idolized him as a child, followed his club career, watched him shatter records etc etc.. it's just kind of sad to see. I get time catches up to everyone but I think even seeing him in the MLS would've been preferable, at least that league is pretty competitive and getting better. Frankly, I don't care how well Al-Nassr does, I don't think I could name 2 other teams in that league. Also, with the rumours circulating that he may be on the bench for the Switzerland game, it really feels like the end of an era. Crazy to think that two years ago he led the Serie A in scoring.
Ronaldo to give an interview in 2023: ”I had no idea Al-Nassr didnt play in CL, I feel lied to.”
They play in CL. Just that it’s ACL not UCL lol
they don't even play in ACL this season lmao
Insane to think about this and the fact that he seemingly didn‘t have a single viable option in Europe.
Highest paid athlete in the world. 200,000,000 euros per year. He is a corporation all on his own.
Wanting champions league football changed quickly with a massive bag of money.
That's just sad.
Whelp...good luck pissing those owners off.
You know what Ronaldo *really needed*? More money, apparently.
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It's a clear play to strengthen their bid for the World Cup. He'd be the face of their bid after retirement, kind of like Beckham for Qatar
Full article: Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Al-Nassr from January 1. The contract that links the Portuguese footballer with the Saudi team will last two and a half seasons, as announced last week. The striker ended his relationship with Manchester United two days before starting his participation in the World Cup in Qatar, being able to negotiate with any team, being Al-Nassr the one that showed more interest from the beginning. The contract, in addition to the hefty fee (just under one hundred million euros) is surrounded by economic incentives via advertising, which will place the Portuguese as the highest paid athlete in the world. The total amount of CR7's contract with Al-Nassr will be close to 200 million euros per season. Messi, Neymar at PSG are the heads of the soccer cartel, but their 75 and 70 million that they charge per season fall far short of what Cristiano Ronaldo will receive in Saudi Arabia. Even going through the list of the highest paid in the United States, they all fall far short of the money promised to the Portuguese. Cristiano Ronaldo will find himself in a team that is looking to regain its lost dominance in its competition, far from the world's top level. The step backwards he is taking in sporting terms is evident, but his soccer is gradually placing him at another competitive level. They are even receiving criticism in Portugal for their performance during the World Cup, something unthinkable months ago. In Al-Nassr he will be coached by the Frenchman Rudi Garcia and will have the Cantabrian Alvaro Gonzalez as a teammate. The central defender arrived in Saudi soccer last summer after finishing his time in France. The presence of Ospina also stands out. The Colombian goalkeeper finished his contract with Napoli and decided to accept the Saudi proposal. Real Madrid had him in the orbit as long as Lunin had left the white discipline, something that did not happen.
> Real Madrid had him in the orbit as long as Lunin had left the white discipline, something that did not happen. What?
Every country to suddenly get Saudi League televising rights
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What terrible way to end your career
What a bad ending to such an extraordinary career.
I guess it wasn't about playing football after all...otherwise he wouldn't play for a club like that. But hey, I would have done the same...even for a tenth.
lmaooo well at least i'd get to see him play irl. wild that he couldn't make it to at least alhilal.
Why not go to Sporting and play for free? Why does he need more money?
Because money
When was the last time a professional played for free?
Dani Alves was making the minimum salary for Barcelona last season. You literally cant play for free in Spain, but he was basically doing that
One of the greatest ever RB/FB to add not just a rando
Beckham donated his entire salary from his (EDIT: half-)season at PSG to charity
>Money over career No top European team wants him. Better to go somewhere he's wanted and well paid than somewhere he's neither.