CRISTIANO RONALDO is on his way to Saudi Arabia following his transfer to Al Nassr.
The 37-year-old Portuguese forward agreed a remarkably lucrative £175-million-a-year deal to join the Middle Eastern outfit last week.
And now he is set to join up with his new club after posting a message from a plane on Monday afternoon.
In the short clip, he said: “Hi guys, see you soon.”
The ex-Manchester United man’s partner, Georgina Rodriguez, also shared images of her relaxing on the plane.
And Al Nassr tweeted: “Expected event 🌏 World’s Greatest Player Welcome Ceremony 🤩.
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“Tomorrow is Tuesday. Fans receive their player Cristiano Ronaldo 🤩. 7 pm 🔥. In Victory Square. HalaRonaldo 💛.”
So Ronaldo, who is understood to have undergone the first part of his medical and will complete the second stage in Riyadh in the coming days, will be unveiled at 4pm BST on Tuesday.
His public arrival will take place at an open training session in front of Al Nassr supporters at the team’s 25,000-seater Mrsool Park stadium in Riyadh – where he will meet manager Rudi Garcia for the first time.
However, he is not expected to feature for the club until January 14 when they go to Al-Shabab.
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Speaking after penning the two-and-a-half-year deal, he said: “I’m thrilled for new experience in a different league and a different country.
“The vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring. I am very excited to join my team-mates, to help the team to achieve more success.”
The full deal is believed to run over seven years in total – with Ronaldo taking on an ambassadorial role once he hangs up his boots.
That means Ronaldo would pocket as much as £1.2BILLION over the course of the contract.
The Real Madrid legend’s new side moved to the top of the Saudi Pro League over the weekend following a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej.
Ronaldo had been heavily linked with a move to Saudi ever since his Man Utd deal was terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
He initially distanced himself from a move to the Middle East as he wanted play in the Champions League this season.
And during his interview with Morgan, Ronaldo confirmed he had previously turned down £3m per week to play in Saudi.
When pressed on how difficult it was to turn down a figure that high, he then added: “It’s hard. It’s hard. But in the same way, I thought that I was very happy here; that I [am] still capable to score goals and make people happy.
“I still believe that I can score many many goals and help the team because I still believe that I’m still good and capable to help national team – even Manchester United.
“But if you don’t feel around you that the energy’s on your side, it’s difficult.
“Of course, the criticism is gonna exists all the time. Ah he’s 37, he’s not the same.
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“But I want to see if some guy of my age maintain the level that I show. You’re not gonna teach me that. Nobody is gonna teach me that.”
However, following a challenging World Cup which saw Ronaldo dropped to the bench by Portugal for their shock exit to Morocco, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has changed his mind.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
