Cristiano Ronaldo to a Saudi club: “It’s not true.”

"No, it's not true," Ronaldo answered and emphasized it twice, when asked about joining Al-Nassr, after Portugal defeated Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup on December 6.

The Daily Mail (UK) also said that sources close to Ronaldo all said that the information about the transfer was "crap".

Ronaldo and his close friends all denied the rumor.

Earlier, the Spanish newspaper Marca first reported that Ronaldo reached an agreement with Al-Nassr on Monday, December 5, with a 2.5-year contract with a $200 million salary per season. If this deal is true, this number will make CR7 the highest-paid sports athlete in history.

Al-Nassr is the most successful team in the history of Saudi football, with nine national championships and abundant financial potential. The club attempted to sign Ronaldo in the previous transfer window, offering United a fee worth €30m and €275m to the Portuguese superstar.

However, Ronaldo, who had requested to leave United in the summer to play in the Champions League, did not consider Al-Nassr's offer at the time because of his desire to continue playing in a competitive league. But after all, he remained at Old Trafford.

In the exclusive interview with Piers Morgan in October, Ronaldo once admitted that he received an offer of more than $350 million over two seasons from a Saudi club but refused to disclose the further information.

The Portuguese team's captain would be the highest-paid athlete in history if he agreed the deal.

The shocking interview mentioned above also caused the relationship between Ronaldo and Manchester United to completely break down. The 37-year-old superstar and the Old Trafford team parted ways in November, six months before the contract's expiration date. Many rumors about Ronaldo's next stop were given, but the big European clubs were absent.

Ronaldo and the Portuguese team then concentrated on the goal of conquering the World Cup Golden Trophy. His position on the team, however, is no longer "inviolable." In the last match of the group stage against Korea, he was withdrawn in the 67th minute. And in the most recent match against Switzerland yesterday, Ronaldo had to sit on the bench and was only brought on in the 74th minute. Without Ronaldo, Portugal performed a speedy and virtually variable style to win with a score of 6-1. As a replacement for his senior superstar, Benfica’s 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick. Ronaldo then took the place of Ramos but failed to make his mark.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had to sit on the bench in the match against Switzerland.

After the match, coach Fernando Santos emphasized that there was no conflict between him and Ronaldo. He explained that he wanted Portugal to be more flexible and press more widely, while Ronaldo played a fixed role in some areas. The 68-year-old strategist also confirmed that all players will play in the quarterfinals against African representative Morocco, which recently defeated Spain in a penalty shootout. 

This is the first time Portugal has reached the quarterfinals after three consecutive World Cups. With a squad that is a combination of both young talents and veteran players, the EURO 2016 winner is now one of the brightest candidates to claim the throne of the football world.