Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo was officially unveiled in front of thousands of fans at the Mrsool Park stadium on Tuesday night.
Ronaldo got a grand welcome at the Saudi Arabian club which broke all records to sign the 37-year-old in a historic two-and-a-half-year deal.
Chants of "Ronaldo.. Ronaldo.. Ronaldo" reverberated all around the stadium as Ronaldo stood in the middle along with club president Musalli Al-Muammar.
The King Saudi University Stadium is the home ground for Al Nassr and has a capacity of 25,000. Ronaldo will be wearing the famed No. 7 jersey at the club and compete in the Saudi Pro League.
“I’m so proud to make this big decision in my life. In Europe my work is done. I won everything and played for the most important clubs in Europe. This is a new challenge,” Ronaldo said at a news conference before his unveiling.
Most Expensive Football Transfer
Al Nassr has reportedly bagged Ronaldo's services for $200 million a year — making him the highest-paid football player in history.
He revealed on Tuesday that he was approached by "many" clubs but he chose to play in Saudi Arabia due to a specific reason.
“Nobody knows this, but I had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, Australia, America, Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. I gave my word to this club.
“I want to give a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took this opportunity,” Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Or awards for the best player in the world and five Champions League titles, will play outside of Europe for the first time in his storied career.
"For me, it's not the end of my career to come to Saudi (Arabia). This is why I want to change. To be honest, I don't care what people say. I took my decision. I am really, really happy to be here," Ronaldo said.
Why did Ronaldo leave Manchester United?
Ronaldo's tumultuous time at the FIFA World Cup last year in Qatar was preceded by his controversial final leg at Manchester United, where he fell out with the manager Erik ten Hag after being benched for a few games.
Ronaldo then confessed in an interview that he "felt betrayed" by the club. Following his interview, both Ronaldo and ManU came to a mutual agreement to part ways.
