A significant number of high-profile soccer players joined Saudi Pro League clubs on rich contracts this past summer, but found life in Saudi Arabia not being as great as they imagined. But, it seems that Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the first big star to come to the country, doesn’t share their opinion.

In a recent chat with reporters after Al-Nassr’s elimination from AFC Champions League, Ronaldo said that he is “absolutely happy” to be in Saudi Arabia.

“I am happy to be in Saudi Arabia, absolutely happy,” said Ronaldo via Fabrizio Romano. “I’m happy to represent Al Nassr and for me our season is positive because we have had a chance until now in all tournaments”.

Since joining Al Nassr in January 2023 from Manchester United, Ronaldo became the face of the Saudi Pro League. He has also been playing well, scoring 42 goals and adding 13 assists in 50 games.

However, the 2023-24 season has been quite challenging for Al Nassr and Ronaldo. The club was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League while they sit second in the Saudi Pro League standings with 12 points behind leading Al-Hilal.

Reports that surfaced in recent months indicated that some of Saudi Pro League’s biggest names, including striker Karim Benzema and Aymeric Laporte, are starting to regret their decision. Former Liverpool star Jordan Henderson even forced a transfer after just six months with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq FC and is now playing with Ajax in the Netherlands.

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Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr has cancelled its preseason tour to China following news that Cristiano Ronaldo had been injured. Ronaldo issued a public apology for the cancellation of the tour, stating during a news conference: “Well, guys, for me, today’s a sad day. Because I want to say sorry to the Chinese fans, especially in Shenzhen. Because as you know, in football, some things you cannot control.”

Ronaldo suffered a calf injury, however, he did not specify the extent of the setback. Al Nassr was previously scheduled to play against Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang on Sunday. The team would then return to Riyadh, where they will face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF on February 1.

Following the tour’s cancellation, organizers assured fans that they would be refunded for their tickets as well as flights and hotels. Whether Ronaldo will be fit in time to play against Miami remains to be seen.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo scored to hand Portugal a 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Thursday night. This triumph sees Portugal retain their perfect record in the qualifying tournament, topping their group with nine wins in nine.

While the Portuguese dominated the flow of play with 84% possession, they were unable to penetrate Liechtenstein’s defense during the first half. One minute into the second half, however, Diogo Jota’s through ball found Ronaldo, who thumped a left-footed shot that hit the crossbar before going in. This goal saw Ronaldo go level with Romelu Lukaka as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with 10.

In the 56th minute, a blunder from the Liechtenstein goalkeeper saw the ball go in the direction of Joao Cancelo, who capitalized on the error by burying the ball into an empty net.

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Portuguese star forward Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid soccer player in 2023, according to a recent report by Forbes. Ronaldo is back on top after ranking third behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi in 2022.

Ronaldo’s earnings were boosted by a $200 million-a-year contract with the Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr. He earned an additional $60 million from endorsement for a total annual earnings of $260 million. This also makes him the highest-paid athlete in the world of sports.

Messi is a distant second among the highest-paid soccer players in the world, with a total of $135 million in earnings. A curiosity about Messi is that he earns less money from his contract with Inter ($65 million) than from endorsement deals ($70 million). The Argentinean is also the first MLS player to make the list since David Beckham in early 2012.

The move to Saudi Arabia helped Brazilian forward Neymar Jr. to get into the Top 3. Neymar earns $80 million from his contract with Al Hilal while getting another $32 in off-field earnings.

 Mbappe, who topped the last year’s list, now finds himself fourth among soccer’s biggest earners. The PSG’s star earned $120 million in 2023, with $90 million from that figure being in soccer-related earnings.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Soccer Players in the World:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($260 million)

2. Lionel Messi ($135 million)

3. Neymar ($112 million)

4. Kylian Mbappé ($110 million)

5. Karim Benzema ($106 million)

6. Erling Haaland ($58 million)

7. Mohamed Salah ($53 million)

8. Sadio Mané ($52 million)

9. Kevin De Bruyne ($39 million)

10. Harry Kane ($36 million)

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Rudi Garcia, head coach of the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr that signed Cristiano Ronaldo in January, is believed to have just one game to prove himself in an effort to save his job, a source connected to the situation claimed.

Garcia, who formerly coached Italian Serie A team Roma and French Ligue 1 side Lyon, is believed to be facing dismissal despite leading Al-Nassr to seven wins in their last eight Saudi Pro League games. This is because of Al-Nassr’s failure to claim the top spot in the league, with rivals Al-Ittihad holding onto first place with a three-point lead over Garcia’s side.

This development comes after reports of a strained relationship between Garcia and Ronaldo, which is also believed to have placed pressure on the 59-year-old coach.

In order to save his job, Garcia will look to secure victory against Al-Hilal, who are currently looking to piece together a deal to sign 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi.

Garcia has already remained with Al-Nassr for a longer period than most coaches in the Saudi Pro League, which currently has one of the highest rates of manager dismissals in the world, with head coaches averaging just four months in their roles.

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Portugal and Al Nassr star forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add more records to his already impressive resume. By starring in Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in UEFA EURO qualifiers, Ronaldo broke the record for most international appearances.

Liechtenstein game was Ronaldo’s 197th on a senior international level, which is one more than the previous record holder, Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, has. Ronaldo also scored two goals to commemorate his record-breaking appearance. 

Ronaldo tied Al-Mutawa’s record during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but didn’t have a chance to break it as Portugal got knocked out in the quarterfinals. This was followed by doubts about his future on the team as his relationship with head coach Fernando Santos turned sour. Ronaldo was left on the bench in both matches of the knockout stage as Santos favored younger players.

Everything changed once Portugal’s Football Federation fired Santos and installed former Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as his replacement. Martinez made it clear that he still wanted Ronaldo on his team from the get-go, and even had him starting the game against Liechtenstein.

Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored on the international level. He surpassed Iranian Ali Dei’s 109 goals back in 2021 and currently has 120 goals in international tournaments and friendlies.

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag revealed that he does not regret the club’s fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo nor the Portuguese forward’s subsequent departure from the club.

“I had my reasons [for Ronaldo’s exit],” Ten Hag said about the decision to terminate Ronaldo’s contract with the club. “They were obvious and I also knew the consequences. It could have had a negative outcome. That is always possible in football. But I am not worrying. I sleep well also, even during those nights.”

Ten Hag went on to state that every decision he takes is done with the best interests of the team as a whole in mind. He also confirmed that he is ready to face the long-term consequences of his decisions.

Under ten Hag’s management, Ronaldo had gone from being a key member of Man Utd’s squad to a peripheral figure, struggling for game time. Tensions proceeded to build, with Ronaldo giving a controversial interview in which he criticized the club.

Ronaldo left the club in early November, going on to join Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr where he has since become the highest-paid soccer player in the world.

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Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo might have left Europe, but he is still adding notable achievements to his impressive resume. On Thursday, Ronaldo scored four goals to lead his Al Nassr to a 4-0 win over Al Wehda. He also broke the 500 career league goals mark, becoming just the fifth player in history to do so.

Ronaldo entered the Al Wahda game with 499 goals scored in five different top national leagues playing for five different clubs. He got to the 500 mark in the 30th minute, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

The 38-year-old would go on to score three more goals and finish the game sitting at 503 league goals. Besides Al Nassr, he also scored goals for Sporting Lisbon (3), Manchester United (103), Real Madrid (311), and Juventus (81).

Ronaldo is already recognized as the player who scored the most goals in the history of the game and holds the record for most goals on an international level. Only four players scored more goals in national leagues than him, including Ferenc Puskas, Josef Bican, Romario, and Pele.

After being released from Manchester United earlier this season, Cristiano Ronaldo opted to take his talents to Saudi Arabia and Al Nassr in January. He reportedly inked a deal that will pay him €200 million per year and included a €100 million signing bonus.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 4 for Al Nassr, Breaks 500 Career League Goals Mark appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A VIP seat for the clash between Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi team has been purchased for $2.6 million. The game, set to commence at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday will see PSG go head-to-head with a team made up of Al Hilal and Al-Nassr players.

The “Beyond Imagination” ticket, as it was marketed, was offered by the Saudi Arabian government. The ticket includes the opportunity to meet both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as well as access to both teams’ dressing rooms and the trophy award ceremony.

Bidding for the ticket started at $260,000 with the winning bid announced at the close of the auction on Wednesday. According to the Saudi government, the proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity.

The game will be the first time that Messi and Ronaldo have faced one another since December 2020, when Ronaldo’s Juventus defeated Messi’s Barcelona 3-0. It also marks Ronaldo’s first appearance since signing his $214 million per year contract with Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is set to make his official Al-Nassr debut when the Saudi Pro League leaders host Ettifaq on Sunday.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr may have to be delayed until the end of January after the team’s game against Al Tae’e on Thursday was postponed due to an electrical fault caused by heavy rain at Mrsool Park. As a result, the team is looking into moving the game to Friday evening, however, this remains to be confirmed.

“Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s match against Al Tae’e is postponed for 24 hours,” a statement by the club read. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.”

Should this match not be rescheduled for Friday, Ronaldo’s debut for Al-Nassr will most likely be Al-Ettifaq at Mrsool Park on Jan. 22. This is because he remains ineligible to play his next game due to a one-game ban, meaning that he will miss out on either the recently postponed game against Al Tae’e or on January 14th fixture against local Riyadh rivals Al Shabab.

According to FIFA rules, suspensions imposed by national associations must still be served by players if they are transferred to a team in a different country. Ronaldo received a one-game ban for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand during Manchester United’s game against Everton in November.

The post Electrical Fault Puts Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Debut in Doubt appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A significant number of high-profile soccer players joined Saudi Pro League clubs on rich contracts this past summer, but found life in Saudi Arabia not being as great as they imagined. But, it seems that Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the first big star to come to the country, doesn’t share their opinion.

In a recent chat with reporters after Al-Nassr’s elimination from AFC Champions League, Ronaldo said that he is “absolutely happy” to be in Saudi Arabia.

“I am happy to be in Saudi Arabia, absolutely happy,” said Ronaldo via Fabrizio Romano. “I’m happy to represent Al Nassr and for me our season is positive because we have had a chance until now in all tournaments”.

Since joining Al Nassr in January 2023 from Manchester United, Ronaldo became the face of the Saudi Pro League. He has also been playing well, scoring 42 goals and adding 13 assists in 50 games.

However, the 2023-24 season has been quite challenging for Al Nassr and Ronaldo. The club was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League while they sit second in the Saudi Pro League standings with 12 points behind leading Al-Hilal.

Reports that surfaced in recent months indicated that some of Saudi Pro League’s biggest names, including striker Karim Benzema and Aymeric Laporte, are starting to regret their decision. Former Liverpool star Jordan Henderson even forced a transfer after just six months with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq FC and is now playing with Ajax in the Netherlands.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Says He’s “Absolutely Happy” in Saudi Arabia appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr has cancelled its preseason tour to China following news that Cristiano Ronaldo had been injured. Ronaldo issued a public apology for the cancellation of the tour, stating during a news conference: “Well, guys, for me, today’s a sad day. Because I want to say sorry to the Chinese fans, especially in Shenzhen. Because as you know, in football, some things you cannot control.”

Ronaldo suffered a calf injury, however, he did not specify the extent of the setback. Al Nassr was previously scheduled to play against Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang on Sunday. The team would then return to Riyadh, where they will face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF on February 1.

Following the tour’s cancellation, organizers assured fans that they would be refunded for their tickets as well as flights and hotels. Whether Ronaldo will be fit in time to play against Miami remains to be seen.

The post Al Nassr Cancels Preseason Tour Following Ronaldo Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo scored to hand Portugal a 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Thursday night. This triumph sees Portugal retain their perfect record in the qualifying tournament, topping their group with nine wins in nine.

While the Portuguese dominated the flow of play with 84% possession, they were unable to penetrate Liechtenstein’s defense during the first half. One minute into the second half, however, Diogo Jota’s through ball found Ronaldo, who thumped a left-footed shot that hit the crossbar before going in. This goal saw Ronaldo go level with Romelu Lukaka as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with 10.

In the 56th minute, a blunder from the Liechtenstein goalkeeper saw the ball go in the direction of Joao Cancelo, who capitalized on the error by burying the ball into an empty net.

The post Ronaldo Becomes Euro Qualifiers Top Scorer as Portugal Beat Liechtenstein appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portuguese star forward Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid soccer player in 2023, according to a recent report by Forbes. Ronaldo is back on top after ranking third behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi in 2022.

Ronaldo’s earnings were boosted by a $200 million-a-year contract with the Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr. He earned an additional $60 million from endorsement for a total annual earnings of $260 million. This also makes him the highest-paid athlete in the world of sports.

Messi is a distant second among the highest-paid soccer players in the world, with a total of $135 million in earnings. A curiosity about Messi is that he earns less money from his contract with Inter ($65 million) than from endorsement deals ($70 million). The Argentinean is also the first MLS player to make the list since David Beckham in early 2012.

The move to Saudi Arabia helped Brazilian forward Neymar Jr. to get into the Top 3. Neymar earns $80 million from his contract with Al Hilal while getting another $32 in off-field earnings.

 Mbappe, who topped the last year’s list, now finds himself fourth among soccer’s biggest earners. The PSG’s star earned $120 million in 2023, with $90 million from that figure being in soccer-related earnings.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Soccer Players in the World:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($260 million)

2. Lionel Messi ($135 million)

3. Neymar ($112 million)

4. Kylian Mbappé ($110 million)

5. Karim Benzema ($106 million)

6. Erling Haaland ($58 million)

7. Mohamed Salah ($53 million)

8. Sadio Mané ($52 million)

9. Kevin De Bruyne ($39 million)

10. Harry Kane ($36 million)

The post Cristiano Ronaldo is the World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Player in 2023 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rudi Garcia, head coach of the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr that signed Cristiano Ronaldo in January, is believed to have just one game to prove himself in an effort to save his job, a source connected to the situation claimed.

Garcia, who formerly coached Italian Serie A team Roma and French Ligue 1 side Lyon, is believed to be facing dismissal despite leading Al-Nassr to seven wins in their last eight Saudi Pro League games. This is because of Al-Nassr’s failure to claim the top spot in the league, with rivals Al-Ittihad holding onto first place with a three-point lead over Garcia’s side.

This development comes after reports of a strained relationship between Garcia and Ronaldo, which is also believed to have placed pressure on the 59-year-old coach.

In order to save his job, Garcia will look to secure victory against Al-Hilal, who are currently looking to piece together a deal to sign 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi.

Garcia has already remained with Al-Nassr for a longer period than most coaches in the Saudi Pro League, which currently has one of the highest rates of manager dismissals in the world, with head coaches averaging just four months in their roles.

The post Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Coach Has One Game to Save Job, Source Claims appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portugal and Al Nassr star forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add more records to his already impressive resume. By starring in Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in UEFA EURO qualifiers, Ronaldo broke the record for most international appearances.

Liechtenstein game was Ronaldo’s 197th on a senior international level, which is one more than the previous record holder, Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, has. Ronaldo also scored two goals to commemorate his record-breaking appearance. 

Ronaldo tied Al-Mutawa’s record during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but didn’t have a chance to break it as Portugal got knocked out in the quarterfinals. This was followed by doubts about his future on the team as his relationship with head coach Fernando Santos turned sour. Ronaldo was left on the bench in both matches of the knockout stage as Santos favored younger players.

Everything changed once Portugal’s Football Federation fired Santos and installed former Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as his replacement. Martinez made it clear that he still wanted Ronaldo on his team from the get-go, and even had him starting the game against Liechtenstein.

Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored on the international level. He surpassed Iranian Ali Dei’s 109 goals back in 2021 and currently has 120 goals in international tournaments and friendlies.

The post Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks the Record for Most International Appearances appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag revealed that he does not regret the club’s fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo nor the Portuguese forward’s subsequent departure from the club.

“I had my reasons [for Ronaldo’s exit],” Ten Hag said about the decision to terminate Ronaldo’s contract with the club. “They were obvious and I also knew the consequences. It could have had a negative outcome. That is always possible in football. But I am not worrying. I sleep well also, even during those nights.”

Ten Hag went on to state that every decision he takes is done with the best interests of the team as a whole in mind. He also confirmed that he is ready to face the long-term consequences of his decisions.

Under ten Hag’s management, Ronaldo had gone from being a key member of Man Utd’s squad to a peripheral figure, struggling for game time. Tensions proceeded to build, with Ronaldo giving a controversial interview in which he criticized the club.

Ronaldo left the club in early November, going on to join Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr where he has since become the highest-paid soccer player in the world.

The post Man Utd Coach Ten Hag Defends Ronaldo Split appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo might have left Europe, but he is still adding notable achievements to his impressive resume. On Thursday, Ronaldo scored four goals to lead his Al Nassr to a 4-0 win over Al Wehda. He also broke the 500 career league goals mark, becoming just the fifth player in history to do so.

Ronaldo entered the Al Wahda game with 499 goals scored in five different top national leagues playing for five different clubs. He got to the 500 mark in the 30th minute, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

The 38-year-old would go on to score three more goals and finish the game sitting at 503 league goals. Besides Al Nassr, he also scored goals for Sporting Lisbon (3), Manchester United (103), Real Madrid (311), and Juventus (81).

Ronaldo is already recognized as the player who scored the most goals in the history of the game and holds the record for most goals on an international level. Only four players scored more goals in national leagues than him, including Ferenc Puskas, Josef Bican, Romario, and Pele.

After being released from Manchester United earlier this season, Cristiano Ronaldo opted to take his talents to Saudi Arabia and Al Nassr in January. He reportedly inked a deal that will pay him €200 million per year and included a €100 million signing bonus.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 4 for Al Nassr, Breaks 500 Career League Goals Mark appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A VIP seat for the clash between Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi team has been purchased for $2.6 million. The game, set to commence at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday will see PSG go head-to-head with a team made up of Al Hilal and Al-Nassr players.

The “Beyond Imagination” ticket, as it was marketed, was offered by the Saudi Arabian government. The ticket includes the opportunity to meet both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as well as access to both teams’ dressing rooms and the trophy award ceremony.

Bidding for the ticket started at $260,000 with the winning bid announced at the close of the auction on Wednesday. According to the Saudi government, the proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity.

The game will be the first time that Messi and Ronaldo have faced one another since December 2020, when Ronaldo’s Juventus defeated Messi’s Barcelona 3-0. It also marks Ronaldo’s first appearance since signing his $214 million per year contract with Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is set to make his official Al-Nassr debut when the Saudi Pro League leaders host Ettifaq on Sunday.

The post VIP Seat for Messi Vs. Ronaldo Game Sells for $2.6 Million appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr may have to be delayed until the end of January after the team’s game against Al Tae’e on Thursday was postponed due to an electrical fault caused by heavy rain at Mrsool Park. As a result, the team is looking into moving the game to Friday evening, however, this remains to be confirmed.

“Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s match against Al Tae’e is postponed for 24 hours,” a statement by the club read. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.”

Should this match not be rescheduled for Friday, Ronaldo’s debut for Al-Nassr will most likely be Al-Ettifaq at Mrsool Park on Jan. 22. This is because he remains ineligible to play his next game due to a one-game ban, meaning that he will miss out on either the recently postponed game against Al Tae’e or on January 14th fixture against local Riyadh rivals Al Shabab.

According to FIFA rules, suspensions imposed by national associations must still be served by players if they are transferred to a team in a different country. Ronaldo received a one-game ban for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand during Manchester United’s game against Everton in November.

The post Electrical Fault Puts Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Debut in Doubt appeared first on SportzBonanza.