Cristiano Ronaldo Signs With Saudi Arabian Club Al-Nassr

The signing comes amid tension with his former club.

It’s official—Cristiano Ronaldo has signed with Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia.

The 37-year-old soccer star inked a deal that is reportedly expected to pay him $75 million per year over the life of the contract after his deal was terminated with Manchester United in November. The two sides “mutually agreed” to part ways on Nov. 22, and the club wasn’t going to pay out the remainder of his contract. According to The Times, Manchester United felt they had a strong argument that the star player breached his contract because of the controversial interview with Piers Morgan, which was unauthorized.

The tenure of Ronaldo with Manchester United came to a rocky end after the striker flamed club manager Erik ten Hag and others associated with the club. Shortly after the interview was made public, it became clear that Ronaldo’s time with United was coming to an end.

Friday’s signing of Ronaldo culminates a months-long chase by Al-Nassr for his services, as contact between the club and Ronaldo reportedly began this summer, according to CBS Sports. 

Now, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will be paid handsomely by the Saudi club as he enters what is expected to be the twilight of his storied career. He made history in Qatar late last month when he became the first men’s player to score in five different World Cups.