Cristiano Ronaldo may play his next club season with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for a record-setting amount, roughly €200 million per season, just over $210 million in U.S. dollars, according to a report from Madrid newspaper Marca.
Ronaldo, 37, who recently left Manchester United MANU, undefined after an interview with U.K. s Piers Morgan earlier in November, has been offered a deal to play for Al Nassr for two and a half years beginning January 1, 2023.
A salary over $200 million would dwarf previous earnings for any athlete in any sport. The highest paid athletes in 2022 from salary or winnings were boxer Canelo lvarez at $84 million, Lionel Messi at $72 million and NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford at $70.3 million, according to Sportico. Budweiser says it will award unconsumed Qatar beer to World Cup winner Al Nassr, who is one of the more successful soccer clubs in Saudi Arabia, although the Saudi Pro League SPL is not widely considered one of the world's top soccer leagues. Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the Ballon d Or award, a five-time Champions League winner. In 2022 he made $115 million from his salary and endorsement portfolio. Why is the Qatar World Cup so controversial? Here is a list of issues that have overshadowed FIFA's quadrennial showpiece. Ronaldo is currently playing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for his country Portugal and has not commented on the rumors of a new deal between him and the Saudi club. Ronaldo and Portugal take on Switzerland on Tuesday in the knockout stage of the tournament.