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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Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to end 2023 as the world’s top scorer after he bagged his 54th goal of the year to lift Al Nassr to a 4-1 victory over Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. Scoring 54 goals in just 59 matches, the 37-year-old player leads Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, both with 54 goals, and Erling Haaland, who has scored 50 goals in all competitions.

This is the fifth season in which Ronaldo has finished as the world’s top scorer, achieving the feat in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015 while at Real Madrid. The Portuguese striker celebrated his achievement on Instagram, writing: “54 — I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team.”

Ronaldo’s 54th goal of the season came on the anniversary of his controversial departure from Manchester United last year. The last time he surpassed this figure was in 2016 when he scored 55 goals and won one of his five Ballon d’Or awards. The Portuguese striker is leading this season’s Saudi Pro League top scorers charts with 20 goals in 18 games.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are scheduled to face off in what could potentially be their final showdown after Inter Miami confirmed its participation at the Riyadh Season Cup. Inter Miami is set to face Al Hilal on January 29 before playing against Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on February 1.

“These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season,” Miami sporting director Chris Henderson announced. “We’re excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al Nassr.”

Messi and Ronaldo have played against one another on 36 occasions, with Messi’s team winning 16 matches and Ronaldo’s team winning 11. During these matches, Messi has scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists while Ronaldo has racked up 21 goals and one assist. Messi and Ronaldo previously faced off when the former traveled with his then-club PSG to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup earlier this year, defeating a team of SPL All-Stars 5-4.

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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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Portugal thumped Luxembourg 9-0 in their European Championship qualifier on Monday night despite being without captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory gives Portugal a five-point cushion at the top of Group J, putting them comfortably on track to qualifying for Euro 2024.

After picking up a second yellow card in consecutive games, Ronaldo was suspended from a match that proved to be a prime opportunity for him to extend his international goalscoring record of 123 goals. Still, this victory served as proof of Portugal’s strong team chemistry, with six different scorers on the night.

“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first to the last minute,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez commented after the game. “They remained concentrated not only in attack but to ensure we kept a clean sheet. As a coach, I really liked the attitude of the players, and they have a place in the history of Portuguese football.” So far in qualifying, Portugal has scored 24 goals in six games without conceding a single goal.

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Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add significant milestones to his impressive resume. Ronaldo scored for Al Nassr in a 1-5 win over Al Hazem on Saturday to push his career tally to 850 goals.

Ronaldo initially made the mark on the game by assisting Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s opener late in the first half. He then added another assist to Otavio for a 1-3 lead before netting from close range in the 68th minute to make it 1-4. Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane also got on the scoreboard 10 minutes later to set the final result of 1-5.

Ronaldo has been on a tear lately, scoring six goals and adding two assists in the past three matches. His good form helped Al Nassr win three straight games and recover from a poor start to the new Saudi Pro League season.

The 38-year-old, who is currently Saudi Pro League’s top goalscorer, celebrated his achievement via social media.

“Another great team performance! We keep improving. Let’s go @AlNassrFC. 850 career goals and still counting!” Ronaldo wrote on Twitter while attaching several game photos.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr back in January on a massive contract that pays him a reported salary of €200 million annually. While he failed to help his new club win the Saudi Pro League title, he did lead them to the Arab Club Champions Cup trophy later in 2023.

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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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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.

Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to end 2023 as the world’s top scorer after he bagged his 54th goal of the year to lift Al Nassr to a 4-1 victory over Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. Scoring 54 goals in just 59 matches, the 37-year-old player leads Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, both with 54 goals, and Erling Haaland, who has scored 50 goals in all competitions.

This is the fifth season in which Ronaldo has finished as the world’s top scorer, achieving the feat in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015 while at Real Madrid. The Portuguese striker celebrated his achievement on Instagram, writing: “54 — I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team.”

Ronaldo’s 54th goal of the season came on the anniversary of his controversial departure from Manchester United last year. The last time he surpassed this figure was in 2016 when he scored 55 goals and won one of his five Ballon d’Or awards. The Portuguese striker is leading this season’s Saudi Pro League top scorers charts with 20 goals in 18 games.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are scheduled to face off in what could potentially be their final showdown after Inter Miami confirmed its participation at the Riyadh Season Cup. Inter Miami is set to face Al Hilal on January 29 before playing against Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on February 1.

“These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season,” Miami sporting director Chris Henderson announced. “We’re excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al Nassr.”

Messi and Ronaldo have played against one another on 36 occasions, with Messi’s team winning 16 matches and Ronaldo’s team winning 11. During these matches, Messi has scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists while Ronaldo has racked up 21 goals and one assist. Messi and Ronaldo previously faced off when the former traveled with his then-club PSG to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup earlier this year, defeating a team of SPL All-Stars 5-4.

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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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Portugal thumped Luxembourg 9-0 in their European Championship qualifier on Monday night despite being without captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory gives Portugal a five-point cushion at the top of Group J, putting them comfortably on track to qualifying for Euro 2024.

After picking up a second yellow card in consecutive games, Ronaldo was suspended from a match that proved to be a prime opportunity for him to extend his international goalscoring record of 123 goals. Still, this victory served as proof of Portugal’s strong team chemistry, with six different scorers on the night.

“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first to the last minute,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez commented after the game. “They remained concentrated not only in attack but to ensure we kept a clean sheet. As a coach, I really liked the attitude of the players, and they have a place in the history of Portuguese football.” So far in qualifying, Portugal has scored 24 goals in six games without conceding a single goal.

The post Portugal Rally to Nine-Goal Victory Despite Ronaldo Absence appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add significant milestones to his impressive resume. Ronaldo scored for Al Nassr in a 1-5 win over Al Hazem on Saturday to push his career tally to 850 goals.

Ronaldo initially made the mark on the game by assisting Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s opener late in the first half. He then added another assist to Otavio for a 1-3 lead before netting from close range in the 68th minute to make it 1-4. Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane also got on the scoreboard 10 minutes later to set the final result of 1-5.

Ronaldo has been on a tear lately, scoring six goals and adding two assists in the past three matches. His good form helped Al Nassr win three straight games and recover from a poor start to the new Saudi Pro League season.

The 38-year-old, who is currently Saudi Pro League’s top goalscorer, celebrated his achievement via social media.

“Another great team performance! We keep improving. Let’s go @AlNassrFC. 850 career goals and still counting!” Ronaldo wrote on Twitter while attaching several game photos.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr back in January on a massive contract that pays him a reported salary of €200 million annually. While he failed to help his new club win the Saudi Pro League title, he did lead them to the Arab Club Champions Cup trophy later in 2023.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 850th Career Goal in Al Nassr’s 1-5 win over Al Hazem 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.

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