Former Man United and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has come out to say he will not play at this month’s Club World Cup. According to reports, some participating teams has reached out to him but he said no. The 40-year-old is out of contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of June.
In May, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved at the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify. But speaking about it, Ronaldo said: “I will not be at the Club World Cup.” “Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”
Ronaldo posted on social media that “the chapter is over” following Al-Nassr’s final league game of the season in May, leading to speculation he was set for a move. However, sources have told BBC Sport that the club are confident of extending Ronaldo’s deal.
Speaking before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain on Sunday (20:00 BST), he said a decision on his future was “almost final”. The former Juventus striker joined Al-Nassr in 2023 after the termination of his deal with Manchester United.
He has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the club, including 35 times in 41 matches last term. Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the Nations League final.
