Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia: Goals are so irrelevant but hard to win honor

Cristiano Ronaldo is standing at a critical crossroads in his career. His contract with Saudi professional league team Arnasr will officially expire at the end of June this year, and the future of the Portuguese legend remains full of uncertainty.

According to the authoritative Spanish media "Maca", an unnamed Brazilian club has sent an invitation to Ronaldo, hoping that the 40-year-old superstar can join this summer and take this opportunity to participate in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. This news once again ignited the outside world's speculation about Ronaldo's future.

In 2023, Ronaldo joined Arnasr with a sky-high salary, becoming one of the most representative players in Saudi Arabia's "gold rush". Although he scored 91 goals in 103 games, showing his goal-scoring ability that year, he has never been able to help the team win any important honor. Meanwhile, the team was eliminated by Japanese team Kawasaki forward in the AFC Champions League, further intensifying fans and media’s doubts about the value of him staying in Saudi Arabia.

Previously, there was news that Arnasl was willing to provide him with a one-year contract with an annual salary of up to 185 million euros (about 550,000 euros per day), but Ronaldo has not made a clear statement so far. His silence seemed to indicate that he had other plans for the future.

Brazil has become the latest popular option. It is reported that four Brazilian giants, including Botafogo, Flamengo, Frumenense and Palmeiras, who are expected to participate in the Club World Cup, have expressed interest in signing the former Real Madrid superstar. These clubs are not only competitive, but also hope to help Ronaldo realize his dream of fighting in the Club World Cup.

However, the reality is not optimistic. First of all, the Club World Cup group stage will start on June 27, and Ronaldo’s contract with Arnasl will not officially end until June 30. This means that if the Brazilian team is eliminated in the group stage, he is likely to be unable to complete the transfer in time and participate in the competition on behalf of his new club.

Secondly, from an economic perspective, Brazilian clubs are almost unable to afford the sky-high salary Ronaldo currently enjoys. This also makes this potential transfer seem more complicated and impractical.

Regarding the rumors, Botafogo coach Renato Paiva responded humorously in an interview: "Christmas is still December... But if he really comes, no one will reject such a star. I don't know anything, I just answer the questions."

He added: "But as I said, the coach certainly wants to have the best players. Ronaldo is still a goal machine even though he is over forty years old. In a system that can continuously create opportunities, he can still shine."

Despite many challenges, Ronaldo himself firmly expressed his desire to continue playing football. His biggest goal is to play in the 2026 World Cup jointly held in the United States, Canada and Mexico - this may become the curtain call of his national team career.

And for countless fans around the world, no matter where Ronaldo finally chooses, they will continue to pay attention to one of the greatest players in football history, every run, every shot, every hug and win at dusk of his career.