SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Senegal’s Mane teams up with Ronaldo at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr
Bayern Munich’s Senegal forward Sadio Mane has joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr after one season with the Bundesliga champions, both clubs said on Tuesday.
He thus becomes a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.
Mane has signed a four-year contract, Al-Nassr added on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Financial details were not disclosed but media reports said the Saudis paid 40 million euros ($43.85 million) for the 31-year-old who had two more years left on his Bayern contract
Mane moved to Bayern last year with high hopes after netting 120 goals in 269 games for Liverpool where he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup.
He was a key figure in the Merseyside club’s attack but failed to make the same impression at Bayern, where he fell out with team mate Leroy Sane and hit the German winger – an offence for which he was fined and suspended.
The twice African Footballer of the Year averaged more than 20 goals a season in his last five campaigns with Liverpool but scored only 12 for Bayern.
“We want to thank Sadio Mane for the past season,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen told the club website.
“It certainly hasn’t been an easy year for him, suffering an injury just before the World Cup and missing out on participation with Senegal, whom he had earlier led to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations triumph and World Cup qualification
“Due to the long downtime, he wasn’t able to contribute as much to FC Bayern as we and he himself had hoped. That’s why we decided together that he should start a new chapter in his career and make a fresh start at another club.”
Mane joins an Al Nassr outfit who have strengthened their squad since the marquee signing of Cristiano Ronaldo last term.
The Saudis, who were runners-up last season, have signed midfielders Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan and Seko Fofana from Lens while left back Alex Telles has also joined from Manchester United.
Al-Nassr were banned from registering new players earlier this month due to outstanding debts, with FIFA saying they had to pay 460,000 euros ($504,712.00) related to the transfer of Nigerian Ahmed Musa from Leicester City.
-Reuters
Al-Nassr appointed Portuguese Jorge Jesus as coach on Monday, two months after he left their bitter Saudi Pro-League rivals Al-Hilal.
The 70-year-old won the domestic treble in his second stint with Riyadh-based Al-Hilal in the 2023-2024 season, but left the club in May after they lost in the AFC Champions League elite semi-finals to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
“It’s official Mr. Jorge Jesus is the new coach of Al-Nassr” the Saudi club posted on X. The former Copa Libertadores winner with Brazil’s Flamengo, who replaces Italian Stefano Pioli, has signed a one-year contract with Al-Nassr.
Nine-times Saudi champions Al-Nassr have extended the contract of 40-year-old five-times Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo until 2027.
-Reuters
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Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-year contract extension with Al Nassr, the Saudi Pro League side said on Thursday, which will keep the Portugal forward at the club past his 42nd birthday.
Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in 2022 after leaving Manchester United to become a free agent, has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for them in all competitions.
“”A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together,” Ronaldo said in a post on X.
Ronaldo arrived in Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract soon after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
That made him the highest-paid athlete in the world and he has topped the list for the last three years, according to Forbes.
At the age of 40, Ronaldo’s estimated total earnings are around $275 million.
He has shown few signs of slowing down, with the forward leading Portugal to a second UEFA Nations League title this month when they beat neighbours Spain in the final.
Ronaldo is also eyeing the 1,000-goal milestone in his career. He has scored 794 goals in club football and 138 for Portugal to take his tally to 932.
His arrival in Saudi Arabia opened the floodgates for several high-profile players based in Europe to make the switch to the SPL, such as Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.
Although Ronaldo has won the Arab Club Champions Cup with Al Nassr, he has been unable to guide them to the SPL title, with their best finish being runners-up in 2022-23 and 2023-24. They finished third last season.
-Reuters
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Cristiano Ronaldo indicated on May 26 that he could leave Al-Nassr, after declaring that a “chapter is over” hours after the conclusion of the Saudi Pro League season.
The 40-year-old Portuguese striker joined Al-Nassr in 2022 from Manchester United and his contract with the Saudi club ends this summer.
A special transfer window runs from June 1 to 10 to allow the 32 clubs involved in the Club World Cup to sign players. Al-Nassr are not at the Club World Cup unlike fellow Saudi side Al-Hilal.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino last week said “there are discussions” over the former United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon star playing at the expanded tournament in the United States starting on June 14.
This could mean that he could sign for a new club before then.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all,” Ronaldo cryptically said on social media with a photo of him in an Al-Nassr shirt.
According to Arab news outlet Al-Yaum, Al-Nassr had reportedly offered him a new contract that would slash salary by more than half – Ronaldo currently holds the world’s highest football salary at around €200 million (S$292 million) annually.
Al-Yaum reported that Al-Nassr’s new proposal includes a 52 per cent pay cut, reducing his annual earnings to €96 million. In exchange, the club offered Ronaldo a 5 per cent ownership stake in the team, along with additional investment benefits in Saudi Arabia.
The team lost in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League in April to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale and finished third in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo is the league’s top scorer with 25 goals.
In 2024, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career with Al-Nassr.
Meanwhile, his great rival Lionel Messi will play at the Club World Cup with Inter Miami.
During a recent interview with YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed, Infantino said: “And Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well at the Club World Cup.
“There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup… who knows, who knows.”
It remains to be seen where Ronaldo’s future lies.
Just last week, a source close to Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca said they are not in talks to sign him. Spanish outlet Marca reported that Wydad were hoping to sign the forward to lead their attack at the Club World Cup.
“It was just a friendly talk between Wydad’s president and an agent close to Ronaldo, without going beyond informal discussions,” the source told Reuters.
-Reuters/AFP
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