Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday was officially presented as a Al Nassr player in a glittering opening ceremony before the Saudi’s club’s thousands of fans at the Mrsool Park Stadium.
After the official unveiling, Ronaldo said in a press conference that he is ‘feeling very good and very proud to make this big decision’ and insisted his work is done and has played in the ‘most important club in Europe and is ready for a new challenge’.
He also added that he wanted to ‘show and develop the new and young generation in Saudi Arabia as well as the woman’s game’. Ronaldo revealed his family are happy about his decision to move and have supported him. ‘The welcome is amazing and I’m really proud,’ the former Manchester United player said.
الأسطورة البرتغالية لاعب #النصر كريستيانو رونالدو خلال المؤتمر الصحفي
فخور جدًا باتخاذ هذا القرار الكبير واللعب مع نادي #النصر.. واليوم تحدي جديد أخوضه هنا#Ronaldo𓃵#CR7𓃵#الرياضية_السعودية pic.twitter.com/aYgaJSGx9D— القنوات الرياضية السعودية (@riyadiyatv) January 3, 2023
‘I want to change the mentality of the new genaration and had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, US and Portugal tried to sign me but I have my word to this club. I know what I want and I know what I don’t want. I want to help many different points and the Al-Nassr’s woman’s team. I want to change the perspective of many people,” he said.
“It’s not easy to win any games today. The evolution of football is different and this isn’t the end of my career by moving to the Middle East. For me, I’m really happy to be here and I know the league is competitive. I’ve watched many games. I am so proud at making this big decision in my life and my career. My work in Europe is done. I played for all the most important clubs,” he continued.
“I had many opportunities in Europe. Many clubs in Brazil, Australia, in the US and even Portugal. For me this is a good chance with my knowledge and experience to grow very important clubs,” the Portuguese talisman added.
الإطلالة الأولى للأسطورة كريستيانو رونالدو في ملعب مرسول بارك.. وسط ترحيب كبير من الجماهير#Ronaldo𓃵#CR7𓃵#الرياضية_السعودية pic.twitter.com/ErNJzV694D
— القنوات الرياضية السعودية (@riyadiyatv) January 3, 2023
The 37-year-old batted away questions about criticism of his move to Saudi Arabia, saying, “I’m a unique player, for me it’s normal.”
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said the signing of Ronaldo was a huge step for the Saudi Arabian league. “In my life, I’ve seen that great players like Cristiano are the simplest to manage, because there’s nothing I can teach him,” Garcia told reporters.
“Like he said, we are here to win, nothing else. I want him to enjoy playing with Al Nassr and winning with Al Nassr, just that.”
After the press conference, Ronaldo finally made his way to the middle of the pitch as the whole stadium reverberated with the sound of his name and his trademark “Siuu” celebration.
Before that, Ronaldo went into the locker room and shook hands with his new Al-Nassr team-mates. “I just want to say I feel very happy to be here. It’s a big challenge for me to change from Europe to Asia but I know the group and it’s fantastic. I’m here to help the team to win stuff, to enjoy and give my best,” he said.