'Wanted to bring Lionel Messi first': Al-Nassr coach on arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently signed a deal with Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr, lamded in the country and interacted with fans.

The official Twitter handle of the club took to Twitter to share the news.

"After conquering Europe The iconic star is on a new mission to conquer ASIA! #HalaRonaldo," tweeted Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after moving to the Middle East as a free agent as the 37-year-old gets ready to embark on a new journey. Al-Nassr is based in Riyadh and competes in Saudi Pro League. In the nation's top-flight club football, it has the second-highest amount of league titles.

He joined the Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr on a two-year deal. The club announced the signing last Friday, as per ESPN.

The 37-year-old will receive $75 million per year, making him the highest-paid footballer in history.

Midst Ronaldo's arrival the club's coach Rudi Garcia made a cheeky remark that went viral on social media.

Before Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr became official, Garcia was asked about the transfer in a press conference and his response left the entire media room in splits.

"First, I wanted to bring Messi from Doha," the coach joked before Ronaldo's transfer to the Saudi Arabian club had become official.

Earlier, Ronaldo resumed his training at his previous club's training ground amidst search for a new club. The forward was seen working out by himself at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training facility. The striker was largely benched in Portugal's last match at the 2022 World Cup by manager Fernando Santos and only featured in the game in the second half.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was reluctant to give any details about his future at international level following the defeat, as he said that he will "never turn my back on my teammates and my country", but also added that he would "let time be a good adviser and allow everyone to draw their own conclusions".