The Saudi Arabian football club Al Nassr will pay Cristiano Ronaldo up to £173m per year – making him the highest-paid sportsman of all time.
The Portuguese star, 37, has agreed a two-and-a-half year playing contract with the club.
His base salary is believed to be in the region of £62million per year, but when all commercial opportunities and incentives involved are included Ronaldo could earn as much as £173m for every 12 months he is with the Saudi outfit.
“The world’s greatest athlete, officially signed for Al Nassr,” read a tweet from the club’s official account, which included a picture of Ronaldo holding up a named No 7 shirt.
“History in the making,” added a tweet on the Riyadh club’s English account. “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home.”
A statement on Al Nassr’s official website added that Ronaldo “expressed he is eager to experience a new football league in a different country.” An additional quote from the player said: “The vision with which Al Nassr operates is very inspiring and I am excited to join my teammates. Let’s help the team together to achieve more successes.”
Al Nassr Football Club is based in Riyadh. They are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 27 championships in all competitions.
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They are administered by Saudi Princes and play their home games in a 25,000 capacity stadium.
Formed in 1955, they play in the country’s top division, the Saudi Professional League (SPL), which has 18 teams.
Al Nassr are currently sitting second in the league after 10 games, two points behind leaders Al Shabab.
Last season, the team finished third, six points behind champions Al Hilal.
Al Nassr’s best performance in the AFC Champions League, Asia’s premier club competition, came in 1995 when they finished runners-up behind Japan’s Ilhwa Chunma.
