In addition to his club income, footballer Christiano Ronaldo would receive 200 million euros to support Saudi Arabia’s joint 2030 World Cup bid, a source close to his club said AFP on Monday.
The 37-year-old Portuguese great is without a doubt the most well-known player to join for a club in Saudi Arabia or any other Gulf nation. He was introduced to hundreds of Al Nassr supporters in Riyadh last week.
Along with Egypt and Greece, the oil-rich kingdom is vying to host the world championship of football in 2030, and Ronaldo’s ambassadorial job will increase his reported earnings in the nation to above 400 million euros ($428 million).
“Ronaldo will be paid more than 200 million euros ($214 million) for the deal,” said the source, with knowledge of the deal but who requested anonymity.
“He will be an ambassador for the Saudi World Cup 2030 bid for another 200 million.”
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus star arrived just a few weeks after Qatar’s neighbor, who is also its neighbor, became the first Arab country to host the World Cup.
On January 22, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has also won the Champions League five times and owns the scoring record for that competition, is anticipated to make his Al Nassr debut.
Senior royals who favor Al Nassr supported the agreement, according to the source, including Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as “MBS.”
“MBS (and his brothers) Naif, Turki and Rakan, the sons of King Salman, are all honorary members of Al Nassr since before their father even become the crown prince,” the source said.
“They wanted to grant their beloved club supremacy and put it in the international spotlight. The best way was to bring the best player in the world.”
The deal has been financed by the conservative kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the source added.
“Al Nassr and the other Saudi clubs don’t have this huge fund for such a big deal. It’s PIF that secured the payment,” the source said.
Recently the PIF has undertaken other high-profile sporting ventures, including the purchase of a majority stake in English Premier League club Newcastle United.
It has also bankrolled the lucrative LIV Golf League, which has split the elite golf world by luring away top stars from the US PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
According to another source close to Al Nassr, it was the princes who put the surprise Ronaldo deal in motion.
“It’s MBS’s brothers who suggested and sought to seal the deal at any price,” he said.
“They are all Al Nassr fans and they wanted to prove their team really is the International,” the source added, referring to Al Nassr’s nickname.
Al Nassr has nine Saudi league titles but have never won the Asian Champions League, unlike four-time winners Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, who have lifted the trophy twice.
