Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has joined the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr after his bitter departure from Manchester United.

“The world’s greatest athlete, officially signed for Al Nassr,” the club said in a tweet, which included a picture of Ronaldo holding up a named number 7 jersey.

“History in the making,” said a tweet on the Riyadh club’s English account. “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,” it added. The picture and statement were also posted on Ronaldo’s Instagram account.

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Ronaldo’s contract will last from two-and-a-half years until June 2025, with a total salary of €200m (£177m) per year once commercial agreements are signed. It is said to be the highest salary ever paid to a professional footballer.

Who is Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional football player. He plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and is the captain of the Portugal national team.

Born on February 5, 1985, Ronaldo is considered as one of the best players in the world and has won five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes. This is the most by a European player.

He has also won 32 major trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA European Championship, and one UEFA Nations League.

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Cristiano Ronaldo holds the records for most goals (134) and assists (42) in the Champions League, most goals in the European Championship (14), and is currently tied with Ali Daei for most international goals (109).

Ronaldo began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United in 2003. He went onto win three consecutive Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

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In 2009, Ronaldo was the then-most expensive association football transfer when he signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94 million (£80 million). There he won 15 trophies, including two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, four Champions Leagues, and became the club’s all-time top goalscorer.

He also finished runner-up for the Ballon d’Or three times, behind Lionel Messi (his perceived career rival), and won back-to-back Ballons d’Or in 2013 and 2014, and again in 2016 and 2017.

In 2018, the Portugal national team captain signed for Juventus in a transfer worth an initial €100 million (£88 million), the most expensive transfer for an Italian club. He won two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana, and a Coppa Italia in his first three seasons with the club.

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Ronaldo made his senior international debut for Portugal in 2003 at age 18, and has since earned over 170 caps, including appearing and scoring in eleven major tournaments, becoming Portugal’s most capped player and his country’s all-time top goalscorer.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was ranked the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017 and the world’s most famous athlete by ESPN from 2016 to 2019.