Cristiano Ronaldo posted a cryptic message on social media after Al-Nassr lost to Al-Fatheh 3-2 in the Saudi Pro League on Monday. It was the club’s last game of the season and the Portuguese footballer’s post broke the internet as it appeared to be a farewell to Al-Nassr.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all,” Cristiano Ronaldo wrote.
Ronaldo scored the 25th league goal of the season, meaning he retains his top-scorer crown from last season.
Al Nassr ended the season placed third in the Saudi Pro League, 13 points behind champions Al Ittihad. Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr contract expires on June 30. He scored 35 goals in 41 games in all competitions and is expected to enter free agency soon.
Since joining Al Nassr in 2022, the Portuguese star has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances, Transfermarkt reported.
Last week, Spanish publication MARCA revealed that Ronaldo had received an offer from an unidentified Brazilian club to play in the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, which is taking place in the United States this summer.
The Brazilian teams that are competing in the game are Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo, and Palmeiras.
A source told Reuters last week, Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca denied rumors that it was also hoping to sign Ronaldo for the Club World Cup.
“It was just a friendly talk between Wydad’s president and an agent close to Ronaldo, without going beyond informal discussions,” the insider said.
Foot Mercato reported that the 40-year-old now has “two serious options” to think about. The first is to sign a new deal with the club and stay at Al-Nassr. Al-Hilal, a Saudi rival club, is also interested in Ronaldo since they want to sign a well-known player to replace Neymar after he left in the winter. Ronaldo might be persuaded to move teams if Al-Hilal offers him the opportunity to compete in the next Club World Cup.
Al-Hilal has many exiting Club World Cup matches. The Saudi team will play Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s old team, to start their group campaign. They will then play RB Salzburg and Pachuca.
Until Ronaldo’s next move is formally disclosed, there will likely be a lot of speculation about his future. Meanwhile, he will join Portugal against Germany in the Nations League semi-final tie.