Cristiano Ronaldo hinted about leaving the Saudi club Al Nassr with a cryptic social media post after it failed to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup and failed to win any season title.
The rumours about the five-time Ballon d’Or award winner leaving Al Nassr ignited after the 40-year-old posted his picture in the Saudi Club jersey following the Saudi Super League last match defeat to Al Fateh and wrote, “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.”
The post once again sparked the rumours about CR7’s participation in the Club World Cup, all set to begin next month after signing a short-term contract with any of the teams qualified for the mega event.
Top 5 clubs that could sign Ronaldo after leaving Al Nassr:
Here are the top five potential clubs that could sign a short-term contract with Ronaldo.
Real Madrid
One of the options for Ronaldo is his former club, Real Madrid, which he joined after leaving Manchester United in 2009 for then a world record fee of 80 million euros ($91m).
His controversial exit from the club in the past makes the move seem unlikely, but it would be exciting to see him lining up alongside Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Moreover, after missing out on all the major trophies during the 2024-25 season, the Spanish club would be desperate to win the biggest title of the Club World Cup.
Al Hilal
The biggest rival of Al Nassr that did not let Ronaldo’s club win major trophies multiple times is Al Hilal.
Although it might be a controversial decision for Ronaldo to sign for his Al Nassr’s rival, with Neymar gone, Al Hilal would definitely try to sign the Portuguese footballer for a short-term deal.
Inter Miami
Seeing Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing together is a dream of every football fan, and the rumours about exiting Al Nassr have given them hope to see the two GOATs of the game together.
Ronaldo and Messi teaming up for the same team, Inter Miami, would be huge news not just for the world but also for FIFA and its president, Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino, the person who hinted about CR7’s Al Nassr exit and participation in the Club World Cup.
Notably, last week, when he was asked if Inter Miami might sign Ronaldo, Infantino laughed and replied, “It’s possible.”
Botafogo
The Spanish newspaper Marca last week, before Ronaldo’s cryptic social media post, reported that he was in talks with the Brazilian club Botafogo.
It is one of the four Brazilian clubs that have qualified for the Club World Cup. The head coach of the club recently weighed in on signing Ronaldo, saying, “Christmas is only in December. But if he came, you can’t say no to a star like that.”
“I don’t know anything – I’m just answering the question. But, as I said, coaches always want the best. Ronaldo, even at his age, is still a goal-scoring machine. In a team that creates chance after chance, he would be good,” he added.
Chelsea
Everyone knows that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly always wanted to sign Ronaldo, and the English club was in close talks with him before he joined Al Nassr back in 2023.
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda in a recently resurfaced interview told Racing Tipster, “I remember when the owners took over, they were assessing the possibility of signing him. It would be more like a marketing and media coup than anything, really, in terms of sports logic.”
Although Chelsea would not be interested in signing a long-term contract with Ronaldo, a short-term deal for the Club World Cup would be the best for both parties.
