Journalist explains why Cristiano Ronaldo will reject whopping €200m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr

Renowned Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo is still determined to compete in the UEFA Champions League, insisting that moving to Al-Nassr isn’t an option for him.

Since terminating his Manchester United contract by mutual consent, Cristiano Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a move away from Europe. Spanish outlet Marca recently claimed that Ronaldo would join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in January, with him agreeing to a huge 2.5-year contract worth $200 million per season.

Sepulveda, however, has refuted the claim, insisting that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is not looking to become the highest-paid athlete in history.

On Tuesday (6 December), he tweeted:

"Cristiano Ronaldo will reject the €200m offer from Al-Nassr FC. He's not looking for money. Ronaldo wants the ideal project to continue playing at the highest level. His priority continues to be a club with conditions to fight for the UEFA Champions League. Playing in Asia is not an option."

The 37-year-old superstar was below his blistering best for Manchester United before seeing his contract terminated. He had only scored thrice in 16 appearances for the Red Devils in the 2022-23 season.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement makes history as Portugal down Switzerland

Portugal coach Fernando Santos made the seemingly impossible call of dropping Cristiano Ronaldo from his starting lineup for the 2022 FIFA World Cup last-16 clash against Switzerland on Tuesday. Goncalo Ramos, 21, was given his first start in Qatar, and the forward made history by producing an unforgettable performance.

The Benfica ace opened the scoring for the 2016 European Champions with a thundering finish from a narrow angle in the 17th minute. He doubled his tally in the 51st minute, putting away Diogo Dalot’s low cross at the near post. Seventeen minutes later, he latched onto Joao Felix’s through ball and chipped Yann Sommer to complete his hat-trick. Buoyed by the 21-year-old’s treble, Portugal cruised to a 6-1 victory, setting up a tasty quarter-final clash with Morocco.

Ramos became the first player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to score a hat-trick. Additionally, he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup knockouts since the legendary Pele in 1958.