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Cristiano Ronaldo Presented by Al Nassr after Transfer 

Football - Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference. (Reuters)
Football - Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference. (Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo Presented by Al Nassr after Transfer 

Football - Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference. (Reuters)
Football - Al Nassr unveil new signing Cristiano Ronaldo - Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2023 New Al Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo was officially presented by Al Nassr as the Saudi Arabian club’s superstar new signing on Tuesday, and said he turned down multiple other offers from Europe and North America. 

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to play in the Saudi Pro League. 

“I'm so proud to make this big decision in my life. In Europe my work is done. I won everything and played for the most important clubs in Europe. This is a new challenge,” Ronaldo said at a news conference. 

The football great, who has won five Ballon d'Or awards for the best player in the world and five Champions League titles, will play outside of Europe for the first time in his storied career. 

Ronaldo was set to be presented to fans later at the 25,000 capacity Mrsool Park in Riyadh, which will become his new home. 

He said he turned down other offers from different teams around the world. 

“Nobody knows this, but I had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, Australia, America, Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. I gave my word to this club,” Ronaldo added. “I want to give a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took this opportunity.” 

Excitement built throughout the day ahead of Ronaldo's introduction, with fans making their way to the stadium early in anticipation of his arrival. 

Large video screens on the exterior walls of the ground pictured him in Al Nassr's yellow and blue shirt. 

Ronaldo flew in to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Monday night, where he and his family were greeted by fans before undergoing medical tests at Mrsool Park on Tuesday. 

Ronaldo scored his 700th club career goal against Everton in October and became the first male player to score in five World Cups with his penalty in Portugal’s 3-2 win against Ghana in the group stage. 

Ronaldo will aim to win a league title in a fourth different country after winning seven domestic championships in England, Spain and Italy combined. 

Al Nassr plays Al Ta'ee on Thursday, but it unclear if Ronaldo will make his debut so soon after completing his move. 

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Study: European Game Generated 38 Bln Euros in 2023-24 Season

FILED - 29 March 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (R) and St. Pauli's Eric Smith battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FC St. Pauli at Allianz Arena. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa
FILED - 29 March 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (R) and St. Pauli's Eric Smith battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FC St. Pauli at Allianz Arena. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa
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Study: European Game Generated 38 Bln Euros in 2023-24 Season

FILED - 29 March 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (R) and St. Pauli's Eric Smith battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FC St. Pauli at Allianz Arena. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa
FILED - 29 March 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (R) and St. Pauli's Eric Smith battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and FC St. Pauli at Allianz Arena. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa

Europe's soccer market grew by 8% in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros ($43.46 billion) with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday.

In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues -- Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 -- generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4%.

Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds ($8.50 billion), Reuters reported.

However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth (3%) than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons (11%).

The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time.

"A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said.

"However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviors, arise.

"The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs.

"More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognize the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honoring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come."

Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit (0.6 billion euros) for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66% to 64%.

WSL REVENUE SOARS

Clubs in England's Women's Super League (WSL) jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34% rise.

Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds.

"Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said.

"Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women’s game."