After guiding Portugal to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to resume his pursuit of finding a new club. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was again left on the bench by Portugal as the 2016 UEFA Euro champions were upstaged by Morocco in the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup.
The Portugal captain was used as a second-half substitute in the 51st minute by head coach Fernando Santos. Making his record-levelling 196th appearance for Portugal in the international arena, Ronaldo failed to inspire his side as the former European champions were dumped out of the FIFA World Cup by giant killers Morocco. Ronaldo has shared a couple of cryptic posts about his future after appearing in what might just be his final campaign at the FIFA World Cup.
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Released by Manchester United in the aftermath of his explosive interview, free agent Ronaldo is heavily linked with Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr. According to multiple reports, Ronaldo was in talks to sign for the Saudi Arabia giants in an eye-watering €400m deal.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Al-Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia has broken his silence about Ronaldo’s never-ending transfer rumours. “If you want to ask me about Cristiano Ronaldo, I’ll tell you right away. You know me, I’m not talking about this story. Let’s wait. Our championship is about to start again,” he was quoted as saying.
Garcia’s remark arrived after Ronaldo rejected claims about joining the Saudi outfit following the end of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. “No, it isn’t true,” Ronaldo had responded when the 37-year-old was asked about his future in a post-match press conference. Ronaldo only scored a single goal in his bitter-sweet World Cup campaign at Qatar. After Portugal’s 1-0 quarter-final loss to Morocco, Ronaldo said that he is dedicated to serving the national team. “I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for a moment,” Ronaldo said.