It looks like a sad ending to a phenomenal career for Cristiano Ronaldo. Getting benched with Manchester United and then leaving the club, getting benched at his presumably last World Cup with Portugal, and then signing in Saudi Arabia for €200m per season. But this move could actually work out for Ronaldo, and maybe see him retire with the most beautiful cup of all.
Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t washed. He hasn’t fallen off. He’s still a great player. But he was never able to get into form this season, after a quite remarkable first season back with United. The death of his child, missing preseason, the power struggle with Ten Hag… None of it went Ronaldo’s way. And he was never able to do what he does best: Play football and score goals.
He never got a rhythm or a feel for the game this season. Only being trusted with a handful of minutes here and there isn’t how you should expect Ronaldo to make an impact. He needs games. Regular playing time. Because he knows how to score goals. It’s what he has always done, he hasn’t all of a sudden forgotten how to.
That’s why this move to Al-Nassr is quite a good one for Ronaldo. He’ll be treated like a king over there and will never have to worry about getting benched. He’ll get the chance to feel the game again and get into form, be in match fitness and develop a rhythm for the next 2 and a half years.
At the same time, the Saudi league has quite a high level. It easily belongs amongst the top 10 leagues in the world. There are some veteran stars from other places in the world, and as a country, it has quite a developed football culture. The only team to beat Argentina since their Copa America semi-final loss against Brazil in 2019, is Saudi Arabia at the World Cup. 42 games, of which 41 were unbeaten.
World Cup
Cristiano hasn’t officially retired from the national team yet. He has already won the Euro’s with Portugal and everything at the club level, so the only thing missing is a world cup. He’ll have turned 41 by the next World Cup. Can he possibly do it? He actually could. And I’m sure he’s considering it.
He’s in a place where he can stay in perfect shape and rhythm up until one year before the World Cup. His contract ends in June 2025. If all that goes well, there’s no reason that Ronaldo couldn’t play at a high enough level for one extra season, to stay in shape until the World Cup. If Al-Nassr can complete the plan of getting 2 of his friends, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos, there’s enough reason to stay over there.
But Portugal will need the right coach. Roberto Martinez has the job for now, but in my eyes, there’s only one option for 2026. The Special One. Mourinho still has a contract until June 2024 with AS Roma which he wants to complete. A disappointing Euro tournament in 2024 could very well mean the end for whoever follows Fernando Santos, so Mourinho doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
Ronaldo will need a team of dogs around him. Messi had that. They believed and battled and ran. Mourinho is a coach that can get that out of a squad, even if intrinsically they aren’t like that. He can get the most out of a player and a squad, so that they give their most for him. Can he give Ronaldo what he wants most? You never know in football.
Courtside 