Cristiano Ronaldo turns down offers to play at Club World Cup

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he will not play at the upcoming Club World Cup after rejecting offers from participating teams.

The 40-year-old’s current Al-Nassr contract will expire at the end of June. He is expected to leave the Saudi Pro League club who failed to qualify for the competition.

Since Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023, the club have yet to win any official trophies.

This season, Ronaldo also failed to lead the team to qualification for the AFC Champions League.

“I will not be at the Club World Cup,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward hinted at a potential exit from the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions.

He wrote on Instagram: “This chapter is over. “The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.”

Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr — Ronaldo has racked up 111 appearances and scored 99 goals across all competitions

Ronaldo’s next destination remains uncertain, with speculation linking him to possible moves to Major League Soccer (MLS), Brazil, Turkey, Sporting Lisbon, or even another Saudi club, Al-Hilal.

He moved to Al-Nassr in 2023 following the termination of his deal with Manchester United.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has racked up 111 appearances and scored 99 goals across all competitions for Al-Nassr.

Last season, he netted 35 times in 41 matches. He bagged the match winner for Portugal in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book their spot in the Nations League final against Spain.