reporter Yin Chengjun
In the past two days, the long series "Where Is Cristiano Ronaldo" may be coming to an end. It is reported that C Ronaldo has decided to join the Victory Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although this seems a bit incredible, Ronaldo has indeed been unable to find a new club in Europe, and the conditions offered by the Riyadh Victory Team are something that Ronaldo cannot refuse.
The sky-high annual salary is staggering
According to recent media reports in Spain, Portugal and Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has basically reached an agreement with Riyadh Victory Club. He will play for the Asian team for two and a half years, and his annual comprehensive income will reach 200 million euros. This allows Ronaldo to still become the highest-paid player in the world at the end of his career.
It is reported that this contract does not only have these contents. After playing as a player for two and a half years, Ronaldo will also serve as the global ambassador of Saudi Arabia until 2030, because Saudi Arabia plans to join Egypt and Greece to bid for the 2030 World Cup .
If all contracts are fulfilled, Ronaldo will receive a compensation of 1.2 billion euros.
In fact, as early as the Qatar World Cup group stage, the news of Ronaldo joining Riyadh victory had already appeared. However, everyone thought it was a bit outrageous at the time and did not pay attention to it. Ronaldo himself may also be considering it. In addition, in order not to affect the Portuguese team's preparations for the World Cup, he did not agree directly.
Ronaldo ranked first in the world's football annual income rankings before this summer. Manchester United has to pay him an annual salary of 53 million euros, and his own brand revenue has reached 60 million euros, totaling 113 million euros. However, as Mbappe renewed his contract with Paris Saint-Germain in June this year, the talented French striker surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo to become the player with the highest annual income in the world. His club's annual salary is about 100 million euros, and his off-field income is 20 million euros, totaling 120 million euros. Messi, who fulfilled his wish at the World Cup this year, has an annual income of about 110 million euros, ranking third on a par with Ronaldo.
However, if Ronaldo really joins Riyadh Victory with an annual income of 200 million euros, then he will return to the top of the income rankings and far surpass Mbappe and Messi, making it impossible for them to catch up.
left Manchester United regardless of the consequences
To this day, Ronaldo has not officially finalized a new team to join. Before the start of this season, he planned to leave Manchester United and asked his agent Mendes to contact many clubs that qualified for the Champions League. However, these teams all rejected his request. On the one hand, they believed that he was too old and on the other hand, they believed that his annual salary was too high.
Because of this, Ronaldo has to stay at Manchester United after the start of this season. However, in the past three months, his competitive state has not been adjusted to the best. In addition, he and the tactical system of new coach Ten Hag are not well integrated, so he has slowly been reduced from the main player to a substitute, and from a substitute to a player who cannot play. Finally, in the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur, Ronaldo left the field because he was dissatisfied with coming on as a substitute in the last three minutes. This move completely angered Ten Hag, and Ronaldo was eventually punished with a one-game suspension from the team. After
, Ronaldo apologized to Ten Hag and the club, and Ten Hag continued to let Ronaldo start in the Europa League . Just when everyone thought they had settled their differences, the World Cup arrived.
Before leaving Old Trafford for the World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo gave a TV interview. In the interview, he fiercely pointed the finger at the Manchester United club and Ten Hag, belittling Manchester United's senior management, coach and team environment to nothing, causing Manchester United to be furious, and the last layer of the already fragmented veil between the two sides was completely torn apart.
Next, Manchester United negotiated with Ronaldo to terminate the contract, and the latter gave up his last seven months' salary in exchange for his free agency. In other words, after the World Cup, Ronaldo can join any team without Manchester United's consent, and the new club does not need to pay Manchester United a transfer fee.
Since then, Ronaldo has only "Huashan Road" left. He must find a team to join before January 31, 2023, otherwise he will take a complete rest until the end of this season, which is very detrimental to maintaining competitive status.
It was at this time that news came out that Ronaldo was interested in joining Riyadh Victory. It can also be seen from this that the European giants really do not have the financial resources or interest to sign Ronaldo.
It is almost impossible to stay in Europe
In fact, fans who understand Ronaldo's character should know that he is by no means a player who gives up his ideals for income. His heart has always been on the Champions League, hoping to lead the team to the top of European football again and continue to refresh the series of records he has maintained in European football.
However, if he wants to stay in a European giant, he must accept two realities. One is a significant salary cut, and the other is the inability to guarantee playing time. The former Ronaldo can accept it. Before the start of this season, he had promised to take a salary cut and leave Manchester United. But he found it difficult to accept the inability to guarantee playing time. Whether in Manchester United or the Portuguese team, he was very sensitive to being unable to start the game, and even had unhappiness with Ten Hag and Santos .
On the other hand, there are reports that Ronaldo's relationship with his agent Mendes has also broken down. Mendes contacted eight European clubs for Ronaldo this summer, but the transactions were all unsuccessful, and the relationship between the two began to become estranged. Later, Ronaldo accepted an interview to blast Manchester United. This move also shocked and dissatisfied Mendes, so he no longer recommends Ronaldo to other wealthy clubs. Given Mendes' connections and prestige in the European football transfer market, Ronaldo's path to finding a new club in Europe is basically blocked.
However, everything seems to be no problem now. If Cristiano Ronaldo officially signs a contract with Riyadh in the near future, then he will also bid farewell to the European arena where he has played for 20 years. The series of legends he left behind will also come to an end, and will give Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland the opportunity to overtake.
With Cristiano Ronaldo fading out, the past "Mello's competition" will also come to an end. However, in January next year, Paris Saint-Germain will play a friendly match with Riyadh Victory in the Riyadh Season Cup. That may be the last time Messi and Ronaldo meet in their careers.
Ronaldo was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, and his value was actually greatly reduced. It was at this critical moment that Riyadh Shengli promptly offered him an olive branch with a sky-high annual salary. In fact, it still recognized his brand value. His love for career, passion for football, high standards for his body, and desire for honor can still inspire a new generation of young players to fight hard. These are intangible wealth that cannot be matched by an annual salary of 200 million euros.
Now, Ronaldo is really going to start a new life journey. With the new contract in front of him, what choice will he make? I believe that the fans who care about him will give a clear answer in the past two days.
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