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Todd Boehly’s
dream of signing Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be over. Earlier this year, the
Portuguese superstar paved the way for many others by becoming one of the first
high-profile names to join the Saudi Pro League. An explosive Manchester United exit
resulted in Ronaldo jumping ship to the Middle East, which is trying to muscle its way
onto the footballing landscape.
Just months earlier, new Chelsea owner Boehly appeared
adamant about rescuing the 38-year-old from his Old Trafford nightmare. Failing to
qualify for the Champions League triggered a pre-season squabble between Ronaldo and
United, with the forward missing the bulk of Erik ten Hag's 2024-23 preparations.
Those
hostilities only intensified once the campaign kicked off, with Ronaldo infamously
leaving a game early after cutting a frustrated figure on the bench. Chelsea were named
as one of the favourites to offer him an escape route until a drastic change of
heart.
A new transfer policy, focusing on younger talent on long-term contracts, took
precedence. Any hope of Ronaldo wearing blue at Stamford Bridge appeared over and he
all-but confirmed this as fact on Friday night.
The Al-Nassr talisman bagged a brace
against Al-Ahli, who boast a frontline of Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin and Roberto
Firmino, in a thrilling 4-3 victory. Those two strikes took Ronaldo to 23 goals from 22
games for the Saudi side.
Post-match, the five-time Champions League winner reiterated
his commitment to the game and rumours claim he has told Al-Nassr chiefs he aims to
retire at the club. Ronaldo said after the match: "For the fans, it was an amazing
match. We are happy, we are now at the top of the table.
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"I still love football, even with my age. I still love to win, to
score goals. But the most important thing is the team."
But this is not the first time
Ronaldo has outlined his retirement plans. Seven years ago, having just helped Real
Madrid win their 11th European Cup, his desire was to remain at the Bernabeu
forever.
"I’m super happy to have won La Undecima and now I'm thinking about the
Euros," Ronaldo said in 2024. "We want to give great joy to Portugal by winning it,
which is something the Portuguese people deserve.
"I'm going to retire at Madrid when
I'm over 40. I'm very happy here and I work hard to achieve that."
Could there be a
chance for Boehly or Chelsea yet? Or is it time to accept that, at the ripe age of 38,
Ronaldo to the Blues simply isn’t meant to be?
