Rio Ferdinand has defended Cristiano Ronaldo following his move to Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr, comparing the switch to the swansongs enjoyed by former Manchester United stars Wayne Rooney and David Beckham in the United States.
Ronaldo confirmed his move to the Saudi Arabian side on a sensational £175million-a-year contract on Friday following his tumultuous exit from Manchester United in November.
Ronaldo, 37, had been a free agent after leaving United in the wake of his damning and controversial interview with Piers Morgan, with fans now flocking to social media to claim he is ‘so done’ after moving to the Middle East.
Cristiano Ronaldo has officially moved to play in Saudi Arabia for Pro League club Al-Nassr
Rio Ferdinand has defended Ronaldo’s decision to move to the Saudi Arabian club
Ferdinand has hit back after Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher expressed ‘sadness’ at the move, with the Sky Sports pundits saying the move marked the end of Ronaldo playing at the highest level.
The former United defender Ferdinand claimed Ronaldo’s move should be compared to several ex-Premier League stars ending their careers in the United States, citing Wayne Rooney’s two-year spell in the MLS with DC United.
Ferdinand claimed ‘no man on the planet’ had earned the right to the move more than the Portuguese star.
‘It was great to see David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, it was great to see them go to America,’ Ferdinand said on his Vibe with FIVE podcast. ‘What a way to finish their careers, getting great money, going to a league that’s not as competitive, they’ve deserved that, they’ve earned the right.
Ferdinand compared Ronaldo’s move to Wayne Rooney’s spell in the MLS with DC United
‘That’s all I saw in the media. But because it’s Saudi Arabia, it’s a disgrace, its sad. Let a man go and live, let a man go and enjoy it. It’s a new adventure he’s taking his family to experience a new culture.
‘Every single country in the world has its issues, so America have got less issues than Saudi, have they? But its fine for all these players to go to America. Let’s let them go to the States and have a swansong year and just toss it off.
‘I don’t like it. It stinks we’re not hearing this type of talk. It’s out of order.
‘Everyone should be treated the same. Every other player that’s gone to a less competitive league to end their career has been told you’ve earned the right. No man on the planet would have earned the right more than this guy.’
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both called it a sad end of one of the game’s greatest players
Reports in Saudi Arabia have stated that Ronaldo he has signed on a two-year deal.
The £175m-a-year contract sees him become the highest-paid player in world football, with his contract set to run until June 2025, when he will be 39.
The Saudi Pro League club announced his arrival in a tweet saying: ‘The world’s greatest athlete officially signed for Al-Nassr’, with Ronaldo also taking up an ambassadorial role.
Part of his role as an ambassador will be to help Saudi Arabia’s joint bid with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup, it has been claimed.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract at Man United was terminated by mutual consent in December
This move came just days after Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV
He joins arch rival Lionel Messi in taking up a promotional position with the gulf nation, which has faced criticism for its human rights record, as well as crackdowns on women’s rights activists, LGBTQ+ people and those who speak out against the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Ronaldo’s move has also faced social media criticism, after footage resurfaced of star claiming he wants to ‘finish at the top level’, where he listed the ‘USA, Qatar or Dubai’ as places he couldn’t envision playing at later in his career.
Ronaldo deal at Al-Nassr will make him the highest-paid player in the world
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.
Ronaldo had initially dismissed reports that he was set to sign for the Saudi outfit, with sources close to the player telling Sportsmail it was ‘nonsense’ that a deal had been signed.
He previously admitted declining a €350m (£310m) offer for two seasons from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club in the summer.
Ronaldo had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli after stunning United officials by telling the club he wanted out in the summer transfer window.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had reportedly expressed hope Real Madrid would want to sign him for a second time.
Ronaldo is a Bernabeu legend, having scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real over nine seasons to help them to four Champions League triumphs.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
