UEFA set to invite Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr for Champions League: Reports

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :November 15, 2023 at 2:04 AM

Modified at :November 15, 2023 at 2:05 AM

UEFA set to invite Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr for Champions League: Reports

Al-Nassr star Ronaldo remains top scorer in Champions League

Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, are supposedly going to get an invitation to compete in the UEFA Champions League in 2024–25 season.

Since the Champions League's establishment thirty years ago, only clubs affiliated with UEFA have participated. Given the club's reputation in Europe, it is now planned to invite Al-Nassr, a Saudi Pro League team, to participate in the event next year.

That's largely because of Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed with the team in December as a free agent. Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League with 140 goals.

Having had a fantastic start to the season, 38-year-old Ronaldo—who is among the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game—continues to mature like a fine wine.

In 17 appearances in all competitions, the captain of Portugal has scored 16 goals and provided nine assists. Al-Alami trail champions Al-Hilal by four points after 13 games, despite having the league's best totals of 13 goals and 7 assists.

UEFA currently intends to invite the Saudi Arabian club for the 2024–25 season in an attempt to capitalise on the worldwide appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Alharbi:

Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Al Nassr, has an outstanding performance in the UEFA Champions League. The three-time Ballon d'Or champion has played in 183 games for three different teams, recording 140 goals and 48 assists.

The majority of Ronaldo's goals (105 goals, 31 assists) and matches (101) came from Real Madrid, the team he won four titles with. In 2008, the year he earned the inaugural Ballon d'Or award, he also won a title with Manchester United.

Ronaldo became the first professional player in European club football history to win the award five times, among numerous additional records and landmarks. In the Champions League final, he also became the first player to score for two victorious teams.

Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.