Cristiano Ronaldo backtracks on idea to end career at Sporting CP, commits to Al Nassr: “Portuguese league is meaningless”

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best ever to play the game, and he proved it with a great goal-scoring season last year. He recently won the Maradona Award at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, and is still impressing everyone at Al Nassr at the age of 38.

With him approaching his forties soon, many are wondering whether the player is close to retirement. He had previously promised to return to the league where he started his career, but he has now clarified his future.

Cristiano Ronaldo talks on his future

Cristiano Ronaldo made the decision to leave European soccer when he left Manchester United in 2022 for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr. There, he signed a record deal and influenced the influx of several other soccer stars. He has been impressive for them since he arrived there. He still has a year and a half left on his contract and commits himself to finishing it.

However, many believe that such a high-caliber player deserves to play in European soccer. Many think it will be good for the Portuguese striker to return to where he started. That is Sporting CP, where Ronaldo first started his professional career as a teenager.

However, when asked whether he would return to the Portuguese League anytime soon, he denied any such possibility. He replied in a brutal manner, “Returning to play in the Portuguese league is meaningless. I will turn 39 in a few days, and I will play this remaining season and another year at Al-Nassr, which is what I want the most.”

He was also asked about his future, and he responded positively, saying that he wants to keep playing for many more years. “And when I’m 40, as my friend José Semedo jokingly says, let’s see what happens. If I play until the age of forty, it would be a fantastic goal at this level. After that, if everything is fine, 41, 42… we don’t know. But the possibility of playing in Portugal is out of the question.” It seems that Portuguese fans won’t be amused to see one of their own legends speak in such a way about their domestic league.

Cristiano Ronaldo once claimed to end career at Sporting CP

It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention to return to Portugal whatsoever. But this seems to make him go back on his own previous statement. The captain of the Portugal national team once said that he wants to retire at his first club, and that is Sporting CP.

He said, “I will retire there. I have to give it to them even if it is one season of my service. They scouted me while no one saw something special in me, they made me and without them I would be probably working at McDonalds.” Even his mother had previously spoken of such a sentiment, and many believed that he would eventually retire there.

Cristiano Ronaldo played in the academy of Sporting CP and made his professional debut at 17 for them back in 2002. After just a year, he would make a big move to Premier League giants Manchester United, where he started to become the global star he is now.

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently enjoying a mid-season break in the Saudi soccer calendar but will soon rejoin Al-Nassr, as they have many friendly games this month.