Transfer Centre

Al-Nassr manager talks up Cristiano Ronaldo move

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 14 December 2022

Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia affirms that he would be "delighted" to coach Cristiano Ronaldo amid links with a Saudi Arabia move for the Portugal attacker.

Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as a "great star" and claimed that he would relish the chance to work with the Portuguese veteran.

Ronaldo is currently on the lookout for a new club after departing Manchester United by mutual consent following his scathing interview with Piers Morgan.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner verbally attacked Erik ten Hag and the Glazer family among others, while admitting that he held no respect for the current Red Devils manager.

Ronaldo's search for his next destination is expected to intensify in the New Year following Portugal's exit from the World Cup to Morocco in the quarter-finals, and a switch to Saudi Arabia has been strongly mooted.

Al-Nassr are supposedly willing to make the 37-year-old the highest-paid player in the world with a contract worth a staggering €200m (£171.9m), but he continues to weigh up his options and is believed to still harbour ambitions of playing in the Champions League.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo pictured on the substitutes' bench before the match on December 7, 2022 © Reuters

Speaking to AS, Garcia affirmed that he would love to take Ronaldo under his wing at Al-Nassr, saying: "I think that any coach would be delighted to train a great star like Cristiano.

"The last images are Cristiano's tears going to the dressing room [dressing room]. It was an exciting moment, very strong, perhaps it was his last game in a World Cup, and on the other hand there was the emotion of the Moroccans.

"I commented on the match for TF1. On December 18, in the final, I will remember these quarter-finals because of the emotions experienced, those of Morocco and those of Cristiano.

"I can't say anything about Cristiano because otherwise it would immediately appear in the headlines: 'García: about Ronaldo'. What I see is that it has been a soap opera and it has been a very important promotion for Al Nassr."

Ronaldo was the subject of interest from Manchester City before snubbing the Premier League champions to return to Man United in 2021, and he came up with 24 goals in all tournaments during his first season back at the club.

Lyon head coach Rudi Garcia pictured on January 9, 2021 © Reuters

However, the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus man could not force his way into Ten Hag's first XI on a regular basis after missing a good chunk of pre-season, and he also scored just one goal in five World Cup matches.

Ronaldo was named in the starting lineup for all three group matches before dropping to the bench against Switzerland in the last 16, as Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in his place.

The 37-year-old came off the bench early in the second half against Morocco in the last eight but could not prevent A Selecao from suffering a 1-0 defeat, seemingly ending his hopes of ever winning the World Cup.

Ronaldo hinted on social media that he would not continue to represent Portugal after the 2022 World Cup, but it has been claimed that the attacker has no immediate plans to retire from international football.

Portugal won Euro 2016 with Ronaldo in the squad, although he was taken off injured in the final against France, and he is said to be determined to lead his side to continental glory once again at Euro 2024.