Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr that expires in 2025.
The Portuguese captain, who left Manchester United after a contentious interview in which he criticized the team, is now a free agent.
According to reports, Ronaldo will earn more than £177 million annually, the highest football pay in history.
The 37-year-old says he is “eager to experience a new football league in a different country”.
Ronaldo added: “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia.”
The club said it would “inspire our league, nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves”.
Ronaldo declined a £305 million offer to join Al Hilal in the summer because he was content playing for Manchester United.
The striker expressed his views in a Piers Morgan interview for TalkTV earlier in November, saying he felt “betrayed” by United, didn’t respect manager Erik ten Hag, and was being expelled from the team.
In August 2021, 11 years after leaving Juventus to join Real Madrid, Ronaldo—who scored 145 goals in 346 games for United—returned to the Old Trafford club.