Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo made an embarrassing gaffe during his unveiling as the new Al-Nassr player on Tuesday. The striker mistakenly said ‘South Africa’ instead of ‘Saudi Arabia’ when referring to the place he had to come to finish his storied career.
“For me it is not the end of my career coming to South Africa,” Ronaldo could be heard saying in the video which has gone viral on social media platforms.
“This is why I want to change and to be honest I really don’t worry about what people say. I took my decision and I have a responsibility to change that,” added Ronaldo.
During the same press conference, Ronaldo also revealed that a number of clubs across the continents had lined up to sign him but he gave his word to Al-Nassr only.
“Nobody knows but I can say now that I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, in Australia, in U.S. even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me,” said Ronaldo.
“But I give credit to this club for the opportunity to develop not only the football but this amazing country. I know what I want and of course what I don’t want as well.”
Ronaldo has been in the news ever since his infamous interview with British TV personality Piers Morgan dropped where he burnt all the bridges with Manchester United.
Afterwards, the club and Ronaldo decided to part ways on a mutual note to avoid any ugliness. However, the premature exit from the World Cup meant that Ronaldo was forced to look for options.
After all the hullabaloo surrounding his future, the five-time Ballon d’Or signed for Al-Nassr for a world record $214.04 million fee for two years.
After putting pen to paper, Ronaldo said he was thrilled about a new experience in a new country.
“I’m thrilled for a new experience in a different league and a different country, the vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring.”
Ronaldo won everything there was to win in Europe. However, not many could have predicted that one of the modern greats of the game will be ending his career in Saudi Arabia.
(With inputs from agencies)
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