<p>Following Al-Nassr’s latest Saudi Pro League triumph on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo responded to his skeptics.</p>



<p>The soccer star’s arrival in <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/saudi-pro-league-executive-ronaldo-and-benzema-just-the-start-20230806-WST-448290.html">Saudi Arabia</a> in January 2022 has been met with widespread acclaim. His presence sparked a dramatic shift in the sport, with numerous high-profile European players signing with Saudi Pro League clubs.</p>



<p>A revival of sorts has occurred for the forward after he moved to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/barcelona-president-slams-ronaldo-and-others-for-saudi-moves-20230803-WST-447444.html">Al-Nassr</a>. He quickly rose to the position of club captain upon his arrival in the Middle East and guided his side to victory in the summer’s Arab Club Champions Cup.</p>



<p>The captain of Portugal, who is now 38 years old, never ceases to amaze his fans with his remarkable play. With Riyad Mahrez and him at the helm, Al-Nassr defeated Al-Ahli 2-1 on Friday in a Saudi Pro League match.</p>



<h5>More Ronaldo goals, more Al-Nassr wins</h5>



<p>The Riyadh-based team won the game with the help of a double brace by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/its-over-messi-no-longer-in-ronaldos-eyes-as-fierce-rival-20230907-WST-454660.html">Ronaldo</a> and Talisca. Thanks to CR7’s two goals, he has brought his season goal total to nine in six league games.</p>



<p>Luis Castro’s players are now back in championship contention and they only have the former <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-united-tv-schedule/">Manchester United</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a> star to thank. They are currently just three points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s Al-Ittihad side, who are dominating the league.</p>



<h5>What did Cristiano Ronaldo say?</h5>



<p>Many expect that Ronaldo’s spectacular career is drawing near and that his days of constant scoring are limited. However, after the game, the 38-year-old responded to his doubters in an interview with the media, insisting that his playing days were far from over. </p>



<p>He reportedly said to the press, via <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1705486909038821612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1705486909038821612%7Ctwgr%5Ed6e92f26ccc4dd5b0f3d4d12bfd57f94d020fd6f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinkvilla.com%2Fsports%2Fis-cristiano-ronaldo-planning-to-retire-al-nassr-star-reveals-his-future-plans-1245602" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fabrizio Romano</a>, “They believe Ronaldo is done… however this is not the case.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: "They say Ronaldo is done… but it’s not true. I will continue to play until my legs say: Cristiano, I&apos;m done".<br><br>"I still have a lot. I still love football and scoring goals. I still love winning. They say I&apos;m done but I&apos;m still proving that it&apos;s not true". <a href="https://t.co/Z1r0sVVoBD">pic.twitter.com/Z1r0sVVoBD</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1705486909038821612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>“I won’t stop playing until my legs say, ‘Cristiano, I’m done’. I still have quite a bit. Goals are still a thrill for me in football. Still, the thrill of victory never gets old for me. The people who claim I’m finished are still wrong.”</p>



<p>Photo credit: IMAGO / Power Sport Images</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at critics claiming his career is over

Cristiano Ronaldo played a key role in Al Nassr's 4-3 win against Al-Ahli, and he claims his career is far from finished.

Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at critics claiming his career is over - World Soccer Talk

<p>Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte could be the latest name to make the move out to the Middle East with Al-Nassr. In a fairly rare move for a defender, Cristiano Ronaldo’s club is looking to get back to the top of the Saudi Pro League. it sees the 29-year-old Laporte as an option to shore up the defense.</p>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/list-of-footballers-signed-by-saudi-arabia-this-summer-20230728-WST-446173.html">Saudi transfers</a> for defenders have been few and far between. Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly is the biggest name to transfer as a defender. Then, Alex Telles from Manchester United also joined. Moreover, Telles went to Al-Nassr, which is submitting this bid for Aymeric Laporte. According to the <em><a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/breaking-man-city-laporte-saudi-27529452" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manchester Evening News</a></em>, Manchester City is accepting $38 million for the transfer of the defender.</p>



<p>Laporte is the third player to leave Manchester City this summer. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/another-treble-winner-leaves-city-his-successor-lies-at-barcelona-20230720-WST-444363.html">Riyad Mahrez</a> also made the move out to Saudi Arabia, as he joined Al-Ahli for around $40 million. Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona on a free transfer in City’s other highlight departure of the summer.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Manchester City have accepted an offer from Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for Aymeric Laporte. 🤝🇸🇦 <a href="https://t.co/MSADU9PH8W">pic.twitter.com/MSADU9PH8W</a></p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1691715115727389065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The potential sale of Laporte helps City recoup some of the money it already spent on another defender. City broke the record for a defender in its acquisition of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. With the central defender from Croatia coming in, Laporte was excess to requirements in Pep Guardiola’s ranks. The Spanish center-back only made a substitute appearance in the side’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/haaland-brace-secures-opening-day-win-for-city-at-burnley-20230811-WST-449682.html">opening-day win at Burnley</a> this past Friday. </p>



<h2>Al-Nassr needs defenders like Aymeric Laporte to keep up</h2>



<p>Scoring should not be a problem in the upcoming campaign for the Saudi Pro League. Al-Nassr has Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, both of whom have goals in this young season. However, Sadio Mane’s goal against Al-Ettifaq on matchday one was not enough, as Al-Nassr lost, 2-1. Two early second-half goals exposed Al-Nassr’s defensive weakness.</p>



<p>Bringing in a treble-winning defender like Aymeric Laporte is a step in the right direction to shore up those inefficiencies in defense. Laporte has been open to leaving this summer as he lost his place in the Manchester City squad. Ruben Dias is a bonafide starter, and Manuel Akanji had a sensational debut season for Manchester City this past campaign. A lucrative move to Saudi Arabia may be early in the 29-year-old’s career, but it may be the move for Laporte.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PRiME Media Images</em></p>


Manchester City and Al-Nassr agree fee for Aymeric Laporte

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte could be the latest name to make the move out to the Middle East with Al-Nassr.

<p>Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr organized an official bid for Bayern Munich outcast Sadio Mane. The Senegalese did not exactly thrive in his maiden season at Bayern Munich. A punch, a suspension and a 12-goal season later, Mane is ready for another change. </p>



<p>Fitting the mold of many soccer stars, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-could-welcome-bayern-flop-at-al-nassr-20230721-WST-444462.html">Saudi Arabia looks like a suitable destination</a>. Al-Nassr is leading the race, and it has prepared a bid of $44 million to acquire Sadio Mane. According to James Benge from CBS, Mane would be the most expensive player for the club when it comes to transfer fees. The club started the great Saudi soccer migration when it landed Cristiano Ronaldo on a free move in the middle of the 2022/23 campaign. Since then, it has made more headline acquisitions. For example, the Saudi club brought in Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan, Manchester United’s Alex Telles and Seko Fofana from Lens.</p>



<p>Sadio Mane, though, carries a different weight than those three. The UEFA Champions League and Premier League winner was a star just two seasons ago. After a strong start to his time with Bayern Munich, an injury derailed his success. He missed Senegal’s appearance in the World Cup with that injury. Then, with his form dipping, things got worse off the pitch.</p>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/bayern-fine-and-suspend-sadio-mane-for-punching-teammate-20230413-WST-428200.html">Mane punched Bayern teammate Leroy Sane</a>, which yielded a brief suspension for the former Liverpool star. Now, the disgruntled star seeks money coming from Saudi Arabia.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Al Nassr closing in on Sadio Mane. The Saudi club have submitted a request to the Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence at the Ministry of Sport for financing of the deal.<br><br>€40m transfer fee to Bayern Munich, €40m net salary for Mane.</p>— James Benge (@jamesbenge) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamesbenge/status/1683357648656252928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Al-Nassr offers fancy wages for Sadio Mane</h2>



<p>If Sadio Mane does make the switch over to Saudi Arabia, he would receive quite the bump in wages. That $44 million annual salary equates to a weekly salary of about $833,000. Currently, Mane is making roughly $24.5 million per year. So, Mane would almost double his wages if he jumps to Saudi Arabia. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Sven Simon</em></p>


Al-Nassr prepares formal bid for Bayern exile Sadio Mane

Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr organized an official bid for Bayern Munich outcast Sadio Mane, who is ready for a new move.

Latest news from Al-Nassr. Find out about all the news related to Al-Nassr on worldsoccertalk.com

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