Cristiano Ronaldo could reportedly be set to make his long-awaited return to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
The Mirror cites reports from Spain that claim that the La Liga giants are looking to invite Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr to their newly refurbished Bernabeu. They are keen to have the Saudi Pro League giants participate in a friendly.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, left Real Madrid in 2018 after having issues with the club’s president Florentino Perez. But, he will go down as one of Los Blancos’ all-time greats, and is their all-time top scorer with 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 games.
The La Liga league leaders are yet to pencil in a date for the proposed friendly due to ongoing construction. The match could take place during next season’s winter break.
Ronaldo looks to have since repaired his relationship with Perez and still holds a fond relationship with Madrid. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner was in attendance to watch his former club 4-1 in the Supercopa de Espana final last month at Al-Awwal Stadium in Saudi Arabia.
The former Manchester United superstar has been rolling back the years at Al-Nassr since arriving in Saudi in January 2023. He’s posted 38 goals and 13 assists in 44 games across competitions.
Ronaldo’s potential return to the newly-renovated Bernabeu could see him square off with Kylian Mbappe. The PSG forward is being heavily linked with a move to Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the end of the season.
Fans will be excited about the prospect of seeing the pair battle after missing out on Ronaldo colliding with Lionel Messi. The proposed ‘Last Dance’ between the iconic duo didn’t happen as the Portuguese icon was injured for Al-Nassr’s 6-0 friendly win over MLS side Inter Miami (February 1).
Real Madrid started renovations of the Bernabeu back in 2019 but they were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine. It’s cost the club a staggering £1 billion, including fitting a new retractable roof and skywalk, and the stadium’s capacity has risen to 85,000.
Cristiano Ronaldo trained at Real Madrid’s training facilities before joining Al-Nassr
There were massive signs that Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with Real Madrid and president Perez were back on good terms. The Portugal captain trained at the club’s Valdebebas training camp to get himself in top-notch condition ahead of his move to Al-Nassr.
This led to suggestions that Madrid may have been considering resigning Ronaldo. He was a free agent at the time after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Manchester United in November 2022.
However, Ronaldo sealed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al-Nassr and quickly helped transform the Saudi Pro League. Many European household names joined him in the Middle East, including Karim Benzema who left the Bernabeu for Al-Ittihad last summer.
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