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.”
