Football's first billionaire player is done with international football. That makes Riyadh the place where he will chase the record he wants most.
Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from Portugal on Thursday after 23 years with the national team. He had fallen out with Portugal's new coach, Jorge Jesus, his former coach at Al Nassr.
"Today the time has come to hand it over to the future," Ronaldo told the Portuguese public in his farewell statement.
The decision came just after Ronaldo served a 30-day suspension from Portugal's football federation. He had walked out of the national team's training camp after Jesus said he would not start him against Denmark.
"I asked him to stay on with me," Jesus told Portugal's Channel 11. Federation President Pedro Proença promised to honour Ronaldo's legacy, though no farewell match has been confirmed.
Ronaldo, 41, leaves as Portugal's record goalscorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 games.
Why it matters
Every goal he has left now comes in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo has 985 official career goals, just 15 short of 1,000, a mark no player has reached in official senior matches.
Leaving Portugal costs him this month's two Nations League games against Denmark and Wales. That leaves Al Nassr's 11 scheduled matches before the end of the year, so he would need about 1.4 goals a game to reach 1,000 in 2026.
His next chance comes against Al Qadsiah on Nov 20.
The money
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index valued Ronaldo at $1.4 billion last year. That made him the first footballer to become a billionaire, joining a club that includes Michael Jordan and Roger Federer.
Most of that fortune came from Riyadh. His Al Nassr contract extension last year was reportedly worth more than $400 million, with tax-free pay, a private jet and a reported 15% stake in the club.
The bigger picture
Saudi Arabia brought Ronaldo in to put its league on the world map. Goal 1,000 would give the Saudi Pro League the most-watched milestone in modern football, and if he keeps scoring at his current rate, it will come in Riyadh.
