Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed it is likely Al Nassr will be the final club of his football career and that he has no plans to become a coach when his playing days are over.
The 39-year-old has just kicked off his third Saudi Pro League season and 24th of a remarkable career that has seen him play for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Nassr.
In that time, Ronaldo has scored more than 750 goals and won the Ballon d'Or five times as well as securing league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
A first trophy since moving to the kingdom still eludes him, though, with Nassr twice finishing second in the SPL, first behind Al Ittihad and then Al Hilal last season. Nassr were also beaten by their Riyadh rivals in the King's Cup final on penalties, which resulted in the captain breaking down in tears.
And Nassr's recent Saudi Super Cup thrashing by reigning champions Al Hilal saw the Portuguese forward reacting furiously at his side's performance. He stormed off the pitch in frustration and refused to collect his runners-up medal alongside teammates.
Despite the lack of silverware, Ronaldo has scored 67 goals in 73 games at Nassr and described last season as one of the best of his career as he finished with 35 goals, breaking the SPL record.
“I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years but probably I will retire at Al Nassr. I'm very happy at this club, and I feel good in this country too, I love playing in Saudi Arabia. I want to continue,” Ronaldo said to Portuguese TV channel NOW.
Ronaldo was on target in his side's SPL season opener against Al Raed on Thursday, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and he is next due in action when Nassr face Al Feiha away on Tuesday
It was also a disappointing summer playing for Portugal at Euro 2024. He was left in tears during the last-16 victory over Slovenia when he missed a penalty in extra time with the game still goalless but redeemed himself in the shoot-out by finishing from the spot to help his side win 3-0 on penalties.
His hopes of a second European crown ended in the quarter-finals, though, when Portugal lost 5-3 on penalties to France, with Ronaldo again scoring in the shoot-out, but those two spot-kicks were to be his only goals in the tournament.
The defeat sparked the inevitable questions about Ronaldo's international future after a career that has seen him represent Portugal in six European Championships and four World Cup tournaments. He also holds the all-time record for most international goals with 130 and is his country's most-capped player with 212 appearances.
But Ronaldo also revealed in his TV interview that he has no plans to call it a day and hopes to be part of manager Roberto Martinez's plans for the upcoming Nations League matches in September that see Portugal take on Croatia and Scotland.
“When I leave the national team, I won’t tell anyone beforehand and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a well-thought-out one,” he added. “Right now, what I want most is to help the national team in its upcoming matches. We have the Nations League coming up soon and I would really like to play there.”
As for when he does call time on his career, it appears that Ronaldo has no plans to follow former teammates by going into management or coaching. “I see myself doing other things outside of football, but only God knows what the future holds,” he added.
“At the moment, I'm not thinking about being a coach of the first team or any team. It doesn't even cross my mind, I've never thought about it. I don't see my future going through that.”
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
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Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
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Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
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Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
