Cristiano Ronaldo’s Record Al-Nassr Contract: A Game-Changer in Football

[00:00:00] On January 3rd, 2023, the world's jaw dropped when arguably one of the greatest soccer players or footballers as is known across the world chose to sign with Al-Nassr, a Saudi Arabia Pro League team, for over $200 million a year.

[00:00:20] Becoming the richest athlete ever is exactly what happened when Cristiano Ronaldo changed the game of soccer and the sporting world took notice as the money in soccer took everyone by surprise.

[00:00:34] Listen today to see all about Cristiano Ronaldo and how he got this contract and what is all involved today on Daily Sports History.

[00:00:49] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide.

[00:00:53] As you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge.

[00:00:58] And today's trivia question to listen out for is,

[00:01:01] What law in Saudi Arabia was amended to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to sign with Al-Nassr?

[00:01:08] Now before we dive into who Cristiano Ronaldo is, let's just give you an idea of how much money he was making.

[00:01:15] Previous to his contract that he signed with Al-Nassr, which pays him around $213 million a year,

[00:01:23] the previous highest paid soccer player was Lionel Messi, who gets paid roughly $135 million a year.

[00:01:30] And then in basketball, Steph Curry makes $55 million a year and is the highest paid basketball player.

[00:01:36] In the NFL, Dak Prescott makes $60 million a year as the highest paid player.

[00:01:42] So Messi makes way more than most American athletes and was the highest paid footballer.

[00:01:48] But Ronaldo overshot them by almost $100 million.

[00:01:53] And it took a lot to get to this point.

[00:01:55] See, Cristiano Ronaldo was born in 1985 in Portugal.

[00:01:59] He was the youngest of four kids in a modest family where both his parents worked to help provide for their family.

[00:02:05] And he quickly showed a love of soccer.

[00:02:08] And at the age of seven, he joined a local club where his father worked and showed immense talent and quickly became the best player on the team.

[00:02:16] And he got so good that he actually moved to Lisbon, leaving his family to join the CP Academy for Youth to grow his soccer talents.

[00:02:25] Though he was homesick and missed his family, he really took focus on the soccer and helped improve his game.

[00:02:31] And was the first player to play for every single team that the CP Academy had.

[00:02:36] And quickly drew the attention of Manchester United.

[00:02:38] And in 2003, he actually joined Manchester at just the age of 18, signing him to a $12 million contract,

[00:02:46] making him the highest paid teenager in the Premier League history.

[00:02:49] And he quickly grew to success.

[00:02:51] Over time, he would win three Premier League championships in his first six seasons.

[00:02:55] One UEFA champion.

[00:02:57] And in 2008, he won his first Bellador Award for being the best soccer player in the world.

[00:03:03] And after this, he did a transfer to Real Madrid.

[00:03:06] Now, a transfer is similar to what is known as a trade in America.

[00:03:10] We trade players here all the time in all our sports leagues.

[00:03:13] A transfer is what they do kind of in the Premier Leagues and soccer across the world.

[00:03:17] So he was transferred to Real Madrid and then got a record $94 million contract, making him the centerpiece of Real Madrid,

[00:03:24] where he would set a number of records, becoming their all-time top scorer and won four Champions League titles,

[00:03:30] as well as four more Bellador awards during his time there.

[00:03:34] He transformed this club into a powerhouse.

[00:03:37] But unfortunately, they had a falling out in 2018.

[00:03:40] And then he switched over to Juventus, where he made $100 million, leading them to two Series A titles in the Italian League.

[00:03:49] And even though the Italian League was known for its defense, he still was a prolific scorer.

[00:03:53] And he played with them until he returned to Manchester City.

[00:03:56] But he still struggled with management there.

[00:03:58] He officially ended his chapter there.

[00:04:01] And he announced he would be signing with Al Nasser of the Saudi Pro League.

[00:04:07] Now, it was reported that he had actually been approached by them previously.

[00:04:10] But he agreed finally to a $213 million a year agreement with Al Nasser,

[00:04:17] which blew every other pro athlete's yearly total out of the water.

[00:04:23] He was already the first soccer player to become a billionaire based off his salary.

[00:04:28] But he was the first athlete in the world to make $200 million off his sport, not endorsements.

[00:04:34] Although, this was a unique deal.

[00:04:37] Because his deal paid him about $75 million for his on-the-field actions.

[00:04:42] And it wasn't just Al Nasser paying for it.

[00:04:45] It was actually the Saudi government.

[00:04:47] As they wanted to use him to help promote the Saudi game and help them get the World Cup in 2030.

[00:04:54] And use him as the face.

[00:04:56] And there was all other commercial deals included in that as well.

[00:05:00] Also included this, his kids' schooling was included.

[00:05:03] His housing was included.

[00:05:05] And he had the right to change the head coach if he thought they were not doing a good job.

[00:05:11] He basically controlled the team.

[00:05:13] And in a sense, controls Saudi Arabia's soccer legacy until 2025 when his contract ends.

[00:05:22] Now we don't know whether he's going to re-up this contract or not.

[00:05:25] But it really shows how much you can do this.

[00:05:28] As he signed this contract towards the end of his 30s.

[00:05:32] He's closing in on 40 years old.

[00:05:34] And still playing soccer at a high level.

[00:05:37] And is known as a scoring machine.

[00:05:38] He's often put against Lionel Messi, who we talked about previously.

[00:05:42] As two of the best soccer players.

[00:05:44] At least in the modern age.

[00:05:45] If not all time.

[00:05:47] But he also puts a lot of time and effort into being with his kids.

[00:05:50] His partner.

[00:05:51] His long-term partner in life as well.

[00:05:54] And puts a lot of effort in that.

[00:05:56] And another part of the deal is his lifetime partner, Georgiana Rodriguez.

[00:06:01] They are not married.

[00:06:02] And it's actually illegal in Saudi Arabia for a woman to live in the house of a man she's not married to.

[00:06:08] But the Saudi Arabia government is allowing them to do this.

[00:06:14] Allowing her to live with him.

[00:06:15] Despite it being illegal.

[00:06:17] I haven't seen anything else.

[00:06:19] But it might be the only time a team has changed the law to allow the athlete to play.

[00:06:24] There are many times that athletes have gotten away with illegal things.

[00:06:27] But this is one they flat out know they are doing something illegal.

[00:06:31] And the government is allowing it.

[00:06:34] It's crazy how influential football is.

[00:06:36] And his influence is massive.

[00:06:38] It goes way beyond his endorsements and athletic prowess.

[00:06:41] In America, we know who he is.

[00:06:43] Even though America does not like soccer as much as the world.

[00:06:47] We still know who Cristiano Ronaldo is.

[00:06:49] We may not know his name right out.

[00:06:52] But we see a picture of him.

[00:06:53] We see a video of him.

[00:06:54] We're like, yeah, I know that guy.

[00:06:56] You might even think he's just a model or something.

[00:06:58] But he really is someone that has taken the world by storm.

[00:07:02] In the European League.

[00:07:04] Leading Portugal to great successes in international play.

[00:07:08] And taking Saudi Arabia to new heights.

[00:07:11] He came from a small island in Portugal.

[00:07:14] And made it all the way to superstardom.

[00:07:16] And changed how athletes are perceived in the world.

[00:07:19] As not only athletes.

[00:07:20] But icons that can change the fortune of not only themselves.

[00:07:23] But of people around them.

[00:07:27] I want to thank you for listening to today's podcast.

[00:07:29] If you want more soccer talk.

[00:07:32] Check out the World Soccer Talk Podcast.

[00:07:36] Where several times a week they discuss the Premier League.

[00:07:39] The World Cup.

[00:07:39] The Champions League.

[00:07:40] La Liga.

[00:07:41] Series A.

[00:07:42] All other kinds of competition.

[00:07:44] Giving you the insight around the planet.

[00:07:47] And around the world.

[00:07:47] All things soccer.

[00:07:49] We'll put a link in the description below for you to check them out.

[00:07:52] And if you enjoyed today's episode of Daily Sports History.

[00:07:55] Please leave us a review.

[00:07:57] And tell us who your favorite soccer player is.

[00:08:00] And come back for more Daily Sports History.

[00:08:05] And did you catch the answer to today's trivia question?

[00:08:08] What law was amended to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to sign without an answer in Saudi Arabia?

[00:08:15] And the answer is the law that it is illegal for a woman that is not married to a man to live in the same house as them.

[00:08:22] Cristiano Ronaldo has a longtime partner but they are not married.

[00:08:26] And she is allowed to live with him in Saudi Arabia without consequence.

[00:08:41] We are Teresa and Nemo.

[00:08:43] And that's why we switched to Shopify.

[00:08:45] The platform that we used before Shopify has used regularly used updates.

[00:08:49] Which have sometimes led to that the shop didn't work.

[00:08:52] Finally makes our Nemo Boards Shop also a good figure on mobile devices.

[00:08:56] And the illustrations on the boards come now much clearer.

[00:08:59] What is important to us and what our brand also makes it out.

[00:09:03] Start your test today.

[00:09:05] Start your test today for 1€ pro Monat auf shopify.de slash radio.