Cristiano Ronaldo's Future: A Move to Saudi Arabia or a Return to Europe?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has become a familiar talking point, but those who expect a grand European encore may be waiting in vain.
The Portuguese superstar has been at Al-Nassr since early 2023, arriving after his contract with Manchester United was terminated on the eve of the 2022 World Cup. He signed what was billed as the most lucrative deal in world football, a move that helped open the floodgates for other big names such as Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané to head to Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has not dulled his edge. Ronaldo has kept up his ferocious standards, adding two more Golden Boots to a collection that was already overflowing. He even went as far as a brief strike in February, protesting how funds are reportedly distributed among clubs controlled by the Public Investment Fund. The stand-off ended, he returned, and Al-Nassr are again chasing the Saudi Pro League title with their No.7 at the heart of it all.
His contract runs until the summer of 2027. If he sees it out, he will be 41. Retirement still hangs somewhere on the horizon, but nobody can quite say when he will finally accept it.
There has been romantic talk of one last dance at Sporting, the club that launched him. Paul-José M’Poku, though, is not buying it.
The former DR Congo international, a Tottenham academy product who spent spells in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, now features in Baller League UK with Angry Ginge’s Yanited side. Speaking to GOAL, he was clear about what he expects next from Ronaldo.
“I don't think he will come back to Europe. And I think there's no point for him to come back to Europe, especially with what he's earning there and how people treat him there,” M’Poku said.
“When you reach that age, there's things that you don't want anymore. I think he will have a World Cup, probably the last one, and then go back to Saudi. Let's see when he will stop.”
Al-Nassr have every reason to cling to him for as long as possible. On the pitch and off it, he is a one-man industry. Keeping him content will mean continuing to strengthen the squad around him.
That is where another global star enters the conversation.
Mohamed Salah is heading towards the end of his Liverpool contract and, as a potential free agent, has long been linked with Saudi Arabia. Asked whether the Egyptian could join Ronaldo in the Pro League, M’Poku did not hesitate.
“I think Mo Salah will probably go to Saudi,” he said. “I don't know if it's Al-Nassr, but yeah, he will go. But now also the PIF, they're trying to sell the club. So if the owner comes and says, I want to buy Al-Nassr, and this owner buys players, it will be okay.”
A frontline of Ronaldo and Salah in yellow and blue would send shockwaves through the game, yet one fantasy still feels out of reach: Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the same team.
Messi is tied to Inter Miami, the reigning MLS Cup winners, on a contract that runs through 2028. The idea of the Argentine joining forces with his long-time rival in the United States, potentially under the watch of co-owner David Beckham, has teased fans for years.
M’Poku, though, poured cold water on that dream.
“I don't think it will happen,” he said. “And for me, I don't know if it's good to see both of them on the same team, because both of them are big stars and either you have to choose one - you are pro-Messi or you are pro-Ronaldo. I don't think it's good for a club to have both of them.”
The rivalry, then, looks set to stay long-distance. Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Messi in Miami. Two separate stages, one shared era.
Both are expected to feature at this summer’s World Cup, still chasing milestones that once seemed unreachable. Each could yet hit 1,000 competitive career goals, an almost surreal benchmark that only fits the scale of their dominance.
M’Poku will be watching from a different world now. The former international has stepped away from the grind of the professional game and into the high-energy, six-a-side environment of the Baller League at the Copper Box Arena in London, sharing the pitch with creators and ex-pros under the lights every Monday night.
Ronaldo and Messi, though, are not done with the main stage. Their final chapters are still being written – and for all the noise around transfers, contracts and destinations, the real question lingers: how many more records can they tear down before the curtain finally falls?
