Reports claimed Ronaldo would be an ambassador for the World Cup bid.
Al Nassr have denied claims that Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract contains a World Cup clause that will see him act as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo joined the Saudi Arabian side on a two-and-a-half year deal worth £175m after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent in November.
Some reports claimed that the 37-year-old’s contract contained a clause which will see him act as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s bid for the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia want to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Greece and Egypt and were reportedly planning to use Ronaldo to promote their bid to bring the tournament back to the Middle East.
However his new employers have gone on record to deny these claims. They tweeted: “Al Nassr FC would like to clarify that contrary to news reports, Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr does not entail commitments to any World Cup bids. His main focus is on Al Nassr and to work with his teammates to help the club achieve success.”
Al Nassr FC would like to clarify that contrary to news reports, Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Al Nassr does not entail commitments to any World Cup bids.
His main focus is on Al Nassr and to work with his teammates to help the club achieve success.
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) January 10, 2023
Lionel Messi is already acting as an ambassador for the country and is helping to represent the Saudi image abroad. Messi reportedly earns around £20m a year in return for promoting tourism in the country and has already visited the country once as part of a state visit in May.
The Portugal forward is yet to make his debut for his new club as he continues to serve a two-game ban which he received for slapping a phone out of a young Everton fan’s hand during a game last season.
Related links:
- Piers Morgan defends Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr move
- Cristiano Ronaldo: The sad decline of a player that refused to listen to anyone but himself
- Fans invade pitch and perform Cristiano Ronaldo ‘SIU’ celebration during Saudi league match
