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Cristiano Ronaldo drops hint over future after Club World Cup transfer speculation

Cristiano Ronaldo drops hint over future after Club World Cup transfer speculation

Independent6 hours ago

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that he will remain at Al-Nassr amid speculation that he could seek a move in order to compete at this summer's Club World Cup.
The 40-year-old's future has been up in the air with his contract at the Saudi Arabian club due to come to an end on June 30.
He joined the club in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United and has been instrumental in elevating the league's credibility.
However, a cryptic social media post suggested that the five-time Ballon d'Or was ready to part ways with the club.
Following a 3-2 defeat to Al-Fateh in their final game of the season, which saw Al-Nassr finish third in the league, Ronaldo took to X to say: "This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all."
But now, Ronaldo has backtracked on his earlier statement and seemingly vowed to remain at his current employers.
After Portugal's Nations League final victory over Spain last night, which saw Roberto Martinez 's side emerge victorious on penalties, the striker has suggested that his future lies with Al-Nassr.
The Portugal captain said: "Future? Nothing will change. Al-Nassr? Yes."
Ronaldo extended his goalscoring record against Spain, claiming his 138th international goal in the 61st minute to put Portugal on terms.
He was subbed off in the 88th minute and was not involved in the subsequent penalty shootout.
He was seen in tears when Ruben Neves scored the winning spot kick as Portugal reigned supreme over their Spanish neighbours, becoming the first team to become two-time winners.
After Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the Club World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino proposed the idea of Ronaldo joining a team still involved in the competition.
However, it appears Ronaldo has turned various participating teams down, with Argentinian giants River Plate among those who reportedly sent proposals his way.
"Some teams reached out to me,' Ronaldo added. 'Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball."

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My stars were hurt & angry after Iceland shock – I trust them to put on a show in World Cup qualifiers says Steve Clarke
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My stars were hurt & angry after Iceland shock – I trust them to put on a show in World Cup qualifiers says Steve Clarke

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Wales' Barton takes on Saltdean head coach role
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We've hurt big nations before and we can do it again in World Cup qualifiers, insists bullish Scotland boss Steve Clarke after stroll in Vaduz
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We've hurt big nations before and we can do it again in World Cup qualifiers, insists bullish Scotland boss Steve Clarke after stroll in Vaduz

Steve Clarke challenged his players to raise their game against top opponents after they comfortably saw off minnows Liechtenstein in Vaduz. A Che Adams hat-trick and George Hirst's first Scotland goal ensured the team bounced back from last Friday's dire display against Iceland at Hampden. Severely criticised in the wake of the 3-1 loss, the four-goal victory ensured the pressure eased on the embattled manager ahead of the World Cup qualifiers starting in September. Drawn with Denmark, Belarus and Greece in Group C, Clarke will hope for a fast start when the Scots travel to Copenhagen for the opener on September 5. He believes his players must take heart from the fact they've already shown they can take points from some of the best nations in Europe. 'It's still a disappointing camp because we didn't play as we can play in the home game at Hampden,' said Clarke. 'There was a little bit of hurt and anger in the dressing room. You saw that in the first 25 minutes when the players were really on it. Hopefully, we can harness that and take it into the autumn games. Like I said, these two friendlies have no bearing. 'If you look at the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain, in recent times this Scotland team have shown how competitive they can be against that type of team. What we have to do is make sure when it comes to September, October, November, we're very competitive again.' Adams struck inside just four minutes, with Clarke insisting he was always confident his players would get the job done. 'I know my players, I trust my players. I've had a couple of disappointments, and they've always shown the resilience to come back and do what they can do. This has no bearing on what's going to happen later in the year, but it's nice to finish this camp with a nice win.' Unusually, Clarke shaped with a 4-4-2, Adams and Hirst playing as strike partners. Delighted both got on the score sheet, he didn't rule out the possibility of going with an offensive formation in the future. 'Really pleased for Che. Strikers need goals. It's been a little while since he got one, so I knew he was desperate to score. 'He gets an early one which releases the tension a little bit. I left him on because I knew he'd be desperate for that hat-trick and thankfully he got it right on the final kick. Obviously, the assist for George is big as well, so we play two strikers and both score. It's not the first time I've done it. If you think way back when Lyndon Dykes and Che would be a front two for me, so it's something we've used before.' The Tartan Army enjoyed a happier day in Vaduz than they did last Friday at Hampden against Iceland On his first start for his country, teenager Lennon Miller was another star turn, while Clarke also handed debuts to Ross Doohan, John Doig, Connor Barron, Andy Irving and Kieron Bowie. 'It's always nice to manage to get a few more first caps onto the pitch. So, that's all about building the squad for the future,' he said. 'Obviously, we've got the boys we rely on now, but you look at the end picture on the pitch, there's a lot of inexperienced internationals and hopefully over the coming years, they'll start to pick up more and more caps.' Clarke confirmed assistant John Carver is leaving the set-up after being offered the Lechia Gdansk job on a permanent basis.

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