Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he will not be going to this month's Fifa Club World Cup, although the veteran attacker admitted there had been “plenty of invitations” to play.
Last month, Fifa president Gianni Infantino claimed that discussions had taken place about the possibility of Ronaldo joining one of the clubs taking part in the inaugural tournament that is being held in the United States.
Days later, Ronaldo seemed to suggest that his time at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr was coming to an end following a frustrating campaign in the Middle East.
For the second season running Ronaldo had topped the SPL scoring charts but not only had Nassr finished without a trophy but also failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all,” the 40-year-old posted on social media after Al Nassr's defeat at Al Fateh in their final game of the season.
This sparked a flurry of speculation that Ronaldo was set to move ahead of the Club World Cup with Al Hilal, who will be participating in the US, linked as one of his possible destinations.
But, speaking ahead of Portugal's Uefa Nations League final against Spain in Munich on Sunday, the former Sporting Club, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus striker played down the possibility of appearing at the Club World Cup.
“It's irrelevant, at the moment it doesn't make sense to talk about things other than the national team,” said Ronaldo, who scored the winner in Portugal's semi-final win over Germany on Wednesday – his 137th international goal.
“There has been plenty of contact [from clubs], I see things that make sense, others that don't. You can't go to all of them [clubs], you have to think short, medium and long term.
“It's something that's practically decided on my part, which is not to go to the Club World Cup, but I've had plenty of invitations.”
Al Nassr remain hopeful that Ronaldo will remain at the club despite sporting director Fernando Hierro admitting there were “many clubs interested in signing him”.
“Cristiano’s arrival was not just a signing – it was a national project,” Hierro added. “He opened up the Saudi league to the world. It’s phenomenal he had the courage to come, to stay, and to help us grow.”
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in 2023 and has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the Riyadh-based club, including 35 times last season.
With his club future seemingly up in the air, Ronaldo is focusing on winning this third major honour with Portugal, after the European Championship (2016) and Nations League (2018/19).
Looking to stop the Portuguese at the final hurdle will be reigning European champions Spain and there teenage wonderkid Lamine Yamal.
The 17-year-old has just helped Barcelona seal a domestic treble, winning the title back from Ronaldo's old club Real while also beating Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercup finals.
Yamal also played a key role in Spain winning Euro 2024 last summer when he won the young player of the tournament award and scored the goal of the tournament in the semi-final win over France.
And now the final is being touted as being a face-off between the world football's young pretender up against one of the game's all-time greats. But the man himself – whose rivalry with Barca legend Lionel Messi has been a backdrop to his whole career – played down the idea.
“It's always been like that, whenever I've played football, whenever I've played a big game it's always been Cristiano against this one, against that one,” Ronaldo said.
“It's been 20-something years and it's still the same, it doesn't keep me up at night any more, it's a normal thing. They're completely different generations, a generation that's starting out, another that's finishing, which is my case.
“In reality it's not like that, it's a team against a team. It will always be like that … What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world.”
Ronaldo also played down suggestions that Yamal should be the front-runner for this year's Ballon d'Or award, with the five-time winner adding: “In my opinion … The Ballon d'Or winner should be in a team that has won the Champions League.”
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
COMPANY PROFILE
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Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
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- Price: Not announced yet
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
