Spain’s Marca reports on lease terms for Newcastle owned by Saudi sovereign wealth fund
Ronaldo entered Saudi Arabia on the 3rd, joined the club on the 4th, made his home debut on the 6th at the earliest
▲ Cristiano Ronaldo, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on the 3rd, receives a welcome bouquet at Riyadh Airport. Archyde.com Yonhap News
Interesting observations were raised that Cristiano Ronaldo (38, Portugal), who left the European big leagues and wore the Al Nasr uniform of Saudi Arabia, could return to the European Champions League (UCL).
Spanish media Marca reported on the 3rd (Korean time) that among the contents of the contract between Ronaldo and Al Nasr, there is a clause that if Newcastle United of the English Premier League wins a ticket to the UCL, they can rent it. Newcastle is a club acquired by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021. PIF is a sovereign wealth fund led by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Nassr is known as a club where the influence of the royal family is strong, with Saudi princes often serving as chairman.
In a word, it is a story that Ronaldo can be rented from Al-Nassr to Newcastle because the PIF and Al-Nassr leadership are nothing short of a community. In the case of Hwang Eui-jo, he moved to Nottingham Forest, England, and then was loaned to Olympiacos, Greece, which had the same owner. Newcastle, who finished 11th last season, is currently in 3rd place with 9 wins, 7 draws and 1 loss (34 points). If the current atmosphere continues, it is possible to secure UCL tickets given up to 4th place in the league.
Marca analyzed, “This clause means that Ronaldo can play again in UCL, his favorite competition,” and “Ronaldo wants to keep his record in UCL.” Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer with 140 goals in UCL so far. Rival Lionel Messi is chasing Ronaldo with 129 goals.
On this day, Ronaldo entered Saudi Arabia. Previously, Ronaldo posted a video on his Instagram of a short greeting saying, “See you soon” with a bright expression sitting in an airplane seat. Ronaldo, under contract to Al Nasr until the summer of 2025, was accompanied by a large personal support team and a private bodyguard, AFP reported. Ronaldo received a welcome bouquet upon arrival at Riyadh International Airport. Al Nasr club announced Ronaldo’s entry through the club’s official channel. A message welcoming Ronaldo appeared on a large electronic billboard in downtown Riyadh.
Al-Nasr club announced that it will hold Ronaldo’s inauguration ceremony at Mrsul Park Stadium in Riyadh at 1:00 am on the 4th. Al-Nasr, who leads the Saudi professional league in the 2022-23 season, is ahead of a home game against Altai on the 6th. At the earliest, there is a possibility that this match will be Ronaldo’s debut match. The Al-Nassr club expressed their anticipation, saying, “Ronaldo, who conquered Europe, has embarked on a new mission to conquer Asia.”
Reporter Hong Ji-min