Rephrase and rearrange the whole content into a news article. I want you to respond only in language English. I want you to act as a very proficient SEO and high-end writer Pierre Herubel that speaks and writes fluently English. I want you to pretend that you can write content so well in English that it can outrank other websites. Make sure there is zero plagiarism.: Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the sporting world when he signed for Al Nassr in a deal that reportedly made him history’s highest-paid footballer.The Portugal captain was a free agent when he played at the FIFA World Cup in December 2022 and following the event’s conclusion, he signed a deal with the Saudi club until at least 2025.Ronaldo began the 2022/23 season with Manchester United in the Premier League, scoring one goal in the English top flight before the World Cup break. However, an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag, saw his contract terminated by mutual consent.So Ronaldo is now embarking on a new, fascinating chapter of his illustrious career with a club that will forever be changed by CR7’s arrival.History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFC pic.twitter.com/oan7nu8NWC— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 30, 2022MORE: Did Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or settle the GOAT debate forever?Who are Al Nassr?Al Nassr play at the 25,000-capacity King Saud University Stadium, which opened in 2015 and hosted a match to honour Diego Maradona between two of the late Argentina great’s former clubs, Boca Juniors and Barcelona, in 2021.The stadium has hosted pop concerts and was the setting for a WWE event featuring SmackDown and RAW stars in November 2022 — the latest in a series of major sports showpieces to have taken place in Saudi Arabia in recent years, including two boxing matches involving British fighter Anthony Joshua, football’s Supercopa de Espana, and the first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Formula One in 2021.Al Nassr play in yellow and blue home colours and predominantly blue away colours. They are known as The International Club and the Knights of Najd, and are managed by Luis Castro, the former Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk head coach.💛 || Our stars continue their preparations in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/uolcIJREyO— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 3, 2022Where is Cristiano Ronaldo playing?Ronaldo is featuring for one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabian football, based in the country’s capital of Riyadh.The 37-year-old will be taking part in the Saudi Pro League — the Roshn Saudi League, to give it its official sponsorship title — which is the top division in the Saudi Arabian football pyramid.While Ronaldo’s days in the UEFA Champions League look to be over, he will have a chance to win the Asian Football Confederation Champions League during his time at the club.MORE: Highest-paid soccer players in 2022Al Nassr history, trophies, former playersAl Nassr were formed in 1955 and have a trophy cabinet that is almost as crammed as the ones owned by Ronaldo’s former clubs.They have won nine Saudi league titles, six King’s Cup crowns, a hat-trick of Crown Prince’s Cup trophies, the Federation Cup three times, and the Saudi Super Cup twice.The club won the bygone competition GCC Champions League twice, and did a double in 1998 by claiming the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup and the Asian Super Cup.That sent them into the 2000 FIFA Club World Cup, in which their mixed results included a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s employers during the most prolific period of his career.Ronaldo is not the first Ballon d’Or winner to have played for Al Nassr. Bulgaria legend Hristo Stoichkov, who won the most prestigious individual prize in football in 1994, joined the club on a two-match deal in 1998, playing a pivotal part in the semifinal and final of that year’s Asian Super Cup triumph.Denilson — a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 who was once the most expensive signing in history — is also among a host of major names to have played for the club, spending two months there during the 2006/07 season.The sustained periods of success they enjoyed after their formation have not been repeated over the past two decades.Fierce rivals Al Hilal have now won the Saudi Pro League twice as many times, with Al Nassr the next most successful club in the competition.Al Nassr were seven points behind Al Hilal in second place at the end of 2023, the gap partly caused by their 3-0 defeat to the leaders on December 1.Saudi Pro League: 9 (1974/75, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1988/89, 1993/94, 1994/95, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2018/19)King’s Cup: 6 (1974, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1990)Saudi Crown Prince’s Cup: 3 (1972/73, 1973/74, 2013/14)Saudi Federation Cup: 3 (1975/76, 1997/98, 2007/08)Saudi Super Cup: 2 (2019, 2020)Asian Cup Winners’ Cup: 1 (1997/98)Asian Super Cup: 1 (1998)GCC Champions League: 2 (1996, 1997)Cristiano Ronaldo Al Nassr contractRonaldo did not require a transfer fee because of his free agent status following his departure from United.According to Marca, the outlet that first reported the agreement in December, Ronaldo is receiving “economic incentives via advertising” to make him the highest-paid athlete in the world, dwarfing the current playing incomes of the likes of Paris Saint-Germain trio Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.The man known as CR7 will receive around €200 million (£172m/$211m) per year, according to reports, when salary and commercial income are combined.Ronaldo’s contract runs until 2025, but it is believed he is now committed to becoming an ambassador for Saudi Arabia as they bid to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Egypt and Greece, although Al Nassr have since denied that.MORE: Everything to know about Cristiano RonaldoWhy did Cristiano Ronaldo go to Saudi Arabia?Aside from the extravagantly lucrative remuneration on offer, Ronaldo has become a poster boy for sport in Saudi Arabia.The country’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, effectively paid for a takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021 in a deal demonstrating how keen the country is to become involved in competitions and events. Their influence in boxing and golf is also now significant.Ronaldo declined an offer from the Saudi Arabia tourism authority worth €6 million (£5.2m/$7.3m) in 2021, The Telegraph reported at the time.The end of Ronaldo’s second spell at United is thought to have been partly driven by his desire to play in the UEFA Champions League again, but he did not appear to have been inundated with offers from clubs who could give him that opportunity. Meanwhile, United were stuck playing in the UEFA Europa League.The majority of Al Nassr’s backroom staff at the time of his move were Portuguese, including assistant coach Arnaldo Teixeira, and there are several international players already within the playing squad.Former Nice, Arsenal and Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina may be the most familiar name to international fans though he recently suffered a long-term injury, while Luiz Gustavo was a regular for Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.The club also boasted Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar, who scored the winning goal against Brazil during the group stage of the 2022 finals. But he was soon moved aside to make way for Ronaldo.👨🎨 ABOUBAKAR 🇨🇲 https://t.co/wHTndE4Ti1 pic.twitter.com/kLZUl5VhYW— Copa Mundial FIFA 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_es) December 2, 2022Fellow Brazilian Anderson Talisca spent several years at Benfica, and Spanish centre-back Alvaro Gonzalez played for Villarreal in his homeland before moving to Marseille.Of course, Ronaldo’s arrival heralded a new era of huge spending by Saudi clubs, which has seen a number of star players head to the Pro League. Al Nassr signed Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, Otavio, and Seko Fofana after Ronaldo joined.What happened to Cristiano Ronaldo at Man United?Ronaldo returned to United in a shock transfer from Juventus before the start of the 2021/22 season, finishing as top scorer for the Red Devils in an underwhelming campaign for the 13-time Premier League winners.The club legend then did his reputation with supporters no favours by agitating for a preseason move away from the struggling giants.MORE: Who owns Al Nassr?New United manager Erik ten Hag used Ronaldo sparingly at the start of the 2022/23 season and had to resort to disciplining the greatest male goalscorer of all time after he left the stadium before the conclusion of two…
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