Al Nassr Boss Rudi Garcia Makes Bold Statement About Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr boss Rudi Garcia has admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo will not end his career in Saudi Arabia.

After parting ways with Manchester United on mutual consent in November 2022, Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr as a free agent. The Portuguese forward has made two competitive appearances for Al Nassr but is yet to score his maiden goal for the Saudi Pro League side. However, Ronaldo scored for Saudi Pro League select XI that took in an exhibition match with Paris Saint-Germain and his eternal rival Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo, who was Manchester United's leading scorer in the 2021-22 season with 24 strikes, was linked to a number of clubs from England and Portugal to the U.S, but the five-time Ballon d'Or committed to a lucrative contract from Al Nassr, moving away from European competition for the first time in his career.

Al Nassr landed Ronaldo on a two-year contract, which will see him toward his 40th birthday, but Garcia said the former Real Madrid star has one more European challenge left in his career. The two-year deal is reportedly worth $214 million per year, making the Portuguese forward the highest-paid athlete in the world.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition, as he helps to disperse defenders. He is one of the best players in the world. He will not finish his career at Al-Nassr, he will return to Europe," Garcia said in an interview.

Over the last few years, Ronaldo has been associated with a move to Major League Soccer (MLS), with suggestions that he could move to legendary former Manchester United No. 7 David Beckham at Inter Miami.

After arriving at Al Nassr earlier this year, Ronaldo said his work in Europe was "done."

"My work in Europe is done. I won everything. I played for the most important clubs in Europe. For me now is a new challenge!" Ronaldo said in an interview.

The former Juventus forward had a fine run in Europe, winning the UEFA Champions League five times and league titles in England, Spain and Italy. He scored 701 goals in 949 club appearances.