The Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, will play his first match with Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia, on January 22, after his new club succeeded in registering him in its list, according to what a club official told Agence France-Presse, Saturday.
Al-Nasr, known in Saudi Arabia as “Al-Alamy”, succeeded in including Ronaldo, who was presented to the public on Tuesday, to his list, after the contract of Cameroonian striker Vincent Abu Bakr, linked to the transfer to Manchester United, was terminated by mutual consent.
Al-Nasr has the right to register only eight foreign players in its list, which is the maximum allowed by the regulations governing the Saudi League.
And the best player in the world five times became available to play the victory match at his stadium in front of Al-Ettifaq on January 22, after he ended the two-match suspension.
It is a penalty imposed on him for smashing a mobile phone that he snatched from the hands of a child, an Everton fan, after the match that his former club, Manchester United, lost last April.
The official, who preferred not to be named, said, “Al-Nasr terminated Vincent Abu Bakr’s contract by mutual consent and received all his financial dues,” referring to Ronaldo’s registration before Al-Nasr’s match against Al-Taei on Friday.
“So he has now served one match of the penalty and he will serve the second against Al-Shabab” on January 14, he added.
The source did not confirm the reports that Abu Bakr, 30, was on his way to signing with Manchester United, and only indicated that the Cameroonian striker had become “a free player and could negotiate with any club.”
Ronaldo, 37, joined Al-Nassr in a fictional deal estimated at more than 200 million euros, which focused heavily on the Saudi League.
The most important contract in the Gulf comes as the wealthy Gulf kingdom pumps millions of dollars to organize global sporting events such as Formula One and the Dakar Rally to change its conservative image in the world. This comes within the framework of an unprecedented campaign to achieve great social openness.
Saudi Arabia is considering submitting a joint file with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup, according to officials.
Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Winter Games in 2029 in the giant futuristic city of Neom, and then, five years later, the capital, Riyadh, will host the 2034 Asian Games. It is also bidding to host the men’s and women’s AFC Asian Cup.