Ronaldo Arrives in Saudi Arabia: "Happy to Be in Namagong" Slip of the Tongue

Seems to Have Confused Saudi Arabia with South Africa

Cristiano Ronaldo (38, Portugal), who left Europe for the Middle East, became a topic of discussion again after making a slip of the tongue at his signing ceremony.

According to AFP and other sources, on the 4th (Korean time) at the Al Nassr signing ceremony held at Mursul Park in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo said, "Coming to South Africa is not the end of my career."

It is suggested that he might have momentarily confused Saudi Arabia and South Africa due to the similarity in their English spellings.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Even after the remark, Ronaldo seemed unaware of his mistake and said, "I am happy to be here."

He added, "I know the professional football league is very competitive," and "I chose Al Nassr. I wanted to seize the opportunity to contribute to the development of football in this great country."

He also said, "That is why I wanted a change. It doesn't matter what people say."

During the World Cup period, Ronaldo's status as a 'free agent' was a hot topic in the football world.

Following a controversial interview criticizing his former club, he was effectively released from Manchester United (England), where he had spent much of his youth, and everyone paid close attention to his next destination.

Ronaldo's final destination was the Saudi league, which can be considered a fringe area in the football world.

According to the British daily The Guardian, he will receive about 200 million euros (approximately 268.9 billion KRW) annually, including salary and advertising revenue.

If the report is accurate, he will surpass Kylian Mbapp? (24, Paris Saint-Germain), the world's highest-paid player, becoming number one in this category.

Ronaldo's debut match for Al Nassr is expected to be against Al Tai, kicking off as early as 0:00 on the 6th (Korean time).