Cristiano Ronaldo says he’s almost certain he will not be playing at the Club World Cup, dealing a blow to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s hopes of having one of soccer’s biggest attractions at the tournament.
The Portugal captain confirmed Saturday that he received “quite a few” offers from participating clubs to play for them at the tournament starting June 14, but had decided against accepting any of them.
“Some things make sense to talk about, other things don’t, and, as a person says, you can’t take part in everything,” Ronaldo said. “You have to think about the short, medium and long term. It’s a decision practically made on my part not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had quite a few invitations to go.”
The 40-year-old soccer great was speaking in Munich a day before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain.
Infantino had suggested last month that Ronaldo, who is still contracted to Saudi team Al-Nassr until the end of June, could switch to one of the 32 clubs taking part in the Club World Cup because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament.
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Ronaldo did little to quell that speculation when he posted ” this chapter is over ” after Al-Nassr’s last Saudi Pro League game of the season.
He was linked with several Club World Cup participants, including Brazil’s Palmeiras.
A switch to Al-Nassr’s crosstown rival Al-Hilal — the one Saudi club that qualified — was also mooted as a potential solution to having Ronaldo play at the tournament, where his great rival Lionel Messi will be playing with Inter Miami.
FIFA would have welcomed the boost that Ronaldo’s presence could provide for ticket sales, though such a switch to a bitter local rival for a short period would be unthinkable for players in Europe’s leagues.
Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are among the four big Saudi clubs backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which has a 75% stake in each. On Thursday, FIFA announced PIF as an ” official partner ” of the Club World Cup. Saudi state money is also effectively funding the tournament’s broadcasting deal that has largely backed its $1 billion prize fund being shared among the participants.
“This is irrelevant right now,” Ronaldo first said when asked Saturday about the Club World Cup. “It makes no sense to talk about anything other than the national team.”
Ronaldo fired Portugal into the Nations League final on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over host nation Germany.
His winning goal was his record-extending 137th for Portugal. If he plays Sunday he will make his record-extending 221st national team appearance.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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