Riyadh, Saudi Arabia –
Cristiano Ronaldo had just completed a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, but made the mistake of making the mistake during his official presentation in Riyadh on Tuesday by mistakenly saying he had “go to South Africa”.
Perhaps the Portuguese great was disoriented by the whirlwind nature upon arrival at his new club, which has seen him fly to Saudi Arabia on Monday night, before while undergoing a medical the next morning and then being greeted by thousands of cheering fans at Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park at the stadium.
“For me, going to South Africa is not the end of my career,” Ronaldo told a news conference before stepping onto the pitch at the 25,000-capacity stadium. “I don’t really worry about what people say. I’ve made my decision and it’s my responsibility to change that, but for me, I’m really happy to be here.”
After what was clearly a slip of the tongue, Ronaldo went on to state his reasons for joining Al Nassr and said he turned down “many clubs” around the world to complete one of the most surprising moves in history. football history.
“I wanted to give a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took this opportunity,” he said. “I know the league is very competitive. People don’t know it, but I know because I’ve watched many matches,”
Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half year deal to play in the Saudi Pro League and is expected to earn up to $200 million a year.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward also said he is ready to start as soon as Al Nassr takes on Al Ta’ee on Thursday.
However, Ronaldo, 37, was given a two-match ban by the Football Association in November for dropping his mobile phone from a fan after a game against Everton in April last year.
He had left United at the time of the ruling, but the FA said the suspension would carry over to any new club.
