
Nothing will change – Cristiano Ronaldo intends to remain at Al Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he intends to stay with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
There had been speculation – fuelled by FIFA president Gianni Infantino – the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could join a club competing in this summer's Club World Cup on a short-term deal.
The 40-year-old had also hinted his future could lie elsewhere when he posted a message on social media at the end of Al Nassr's season that read: 'This chapter is over. The story? Still being written.'
But speaking after Portugal's triumph over Spain in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday – in which Ronaldo scored his 138th international goal – the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star said he would not be moving on.
'Future? Nothing will change. Al Nassr? Yes,' the forward told reporters.
Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League side in December 2022 after a second spell at United ended in controversy following an interview in which he criticised the Premier League club.
His contract in Riyadh was due to expire this summer, prompting speculation linking him with Brazilian club Botafogo, who are involved in the Club World Cup.
Infantino added credence to the reports by saying 'Ronaldo might play for one of the teams' featuring at the tournament in the United States and that 'there are discussions with some clubs'.
This comes after Infantino and governing body FIFA were criticised over the manner in which they handed a host nation spot at the event to Lionel Messi's Inter Miami without them winning Major League Soccer.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Arsenal 'preparing proposal to sign Viktor Gyokeres' amid explosive 'blackmail' accusations from Sporting Lisbon's president which have 'shaken up the market'
Arsenal are reportedly preparing to 'formalise a proposal' for the signing of Viktor Gyokeres amid explosive 'blackmail' accusations from Sporting Lisbon's president, which are said to have 'shaken up the market'. Frederico Varandas responded to reports that a 'furious' Gyokeres had gone on strike after the club refused to honour a gentleman's agreement that would have allowed him to leave for a €80m (£67m) fee - considerably lower than his €100m (£84m) release clause. The Sporting president claimed that 'threats, blackmail and insults' will not persuade him to yield from his position, as per Portuguese outlet Record. He also insisted that he never promised the Swede he could depart for a cut-price fee. According to A Bola, Varandas' comments have 'shaken up the market' for the prolific forward, who has been linked with Manchester United, Juventus and the Gunners. Their report claims that amid the messy break-up, Mikel Arteta 's side are getting ready to table a proposal for Gyokeres, with his agent said to already be in London discussing a potential deal. Arsenal are in the market for a striker this summer and have been linked with a move for RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, believed to be their No 1 target. Last week they were reported to have made a formal approach for the player, in order to explore what a deal would look like if they were to bring the 22-year-old to north London, however there is yet to be an offer forthcoming. It is thought that Leipzig would value the player similarly to the nine-figure sums connected to the likes of Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike. Mail Sport reported last week that Arsenal are hoping to secure a deal of around £70million. The developments in Gyokeres' situation could yet see him fetch a similar price in a staggeringly expensive striker market. In his explosive statement on Wednesday, Varandas guarenteed that Gyokeres would not leave the Portuguese capital for for €60m+10m (£51m+£8.5m), adding: ''This game that the agent is playing only makes the situation worse. To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.' The president did admit that there was an agreement in regards to the release clause not needing to be met, but the fee they would indeed request was never agreed. Gyokeres has removed any reference to Sporting on his Instagram account, having also got rid of any mention of Sweden and Nike. He has three years remaining on his contract in Lisbon, but he is determined to take on a new challenge after just two years at the club, where he won the league twice, and completed a domestic double this campaign. Rui Borges, Sporting manager, was asked about Gyokeres when attending an event on Tuesday to mark the 99th anniversary of provincial team Sport Clube de Mirandela - the club where his football journey began - but refused to give anything away. 'Gyokeres? Sporting's future begins on July 1st,' Borges told reporters. 'That's all I can say and today I'm here to, above all, salute this tribute that was paid to me. That's all. I'm on vacation, I'm not here to talk about that.' Meanwhile, United have maintained contact with the striker and are said to be 'exploring the conditions' of a potential deal. The 27-year-old has long been touted as United's top transfer target, with the Swede having previously worked under Ruben Amorim at Sporting. The financial impact United's failure to qualify for European football initially looked to severely damaged their hopes of securing the striker, who netted 39 league goals from just 31 starts in the Portuguese top flight last season.


Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
LAFC acquire Dutch attacker Javairo Dilrosun on loan
June 11 - Los Angeles FC acquired attacker Javairo Dilrosun from LIGA MX side Club America on Wednesday. The loan agreement runs through July 24 and includes an option to purchase the 26-year-old Dutchman. Dilrosun will fill a Designated Player spot on the roster and is available for action in the FIFA Club World Cup. "Javairo is a player we are familiar with who has shown his talent playing in some of the top leagues in the world," said LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington. "We are excited to add a quality player like Javairo as we prepare for the unique challenge of playing in the Club World Cup." Dilrosun has produced 19 goals and 33 assists in 199 professional appearances while winning five trophies during stints in Germany (Hertha BSC), France (Bordeaux), the Netherlands (Feyenoord) and Mexico. LAFC will open the Club World Cup on Monday in Atlanta against Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. --Field Level Media


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Rugby Union Weekly Inside the Lions camp
We go behind the scenes at the Lions training camp in Portugal to see how preparations have begun for the clash with Argentina in Dublin and the tour down under. Chris chats to Ellis Genge who's already striking up an unexpected 'bromance' with one of the Irish players he's usually slating on the pitch. Genge talks openly about trying to get out of his comfort zone in camp and how he's approaching his first Lions tour aged 30. Forwards coach John Dalziel stops by to talk Argentina and what has impressed him most since the players came into camp. Plus, Jac Morgan tells us how it feels to be flying the flag for Welsh rugby on tour, his memories of the Australia tour in 2013 and he discusses the fierce competition in the back row.