It actually happened. Cristiano Ronaldo has officially joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr FC in a world record-breaking deal until 2025.
The ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting CP star is making his move to the Middle East, becoming one of the first global superstars to set up shop in the region.
Following the fallout from his infamous Piers Morgan interview which saw him take aim at former employers United, the manager, as well as past and present teammates, Ronaldo was only ever heading for the exit door and it seems like that was all he wanted by the end
Now, though, the Portuguese icon is set to join Al-Nassr on a two-year deal as part of an unbelievable contract worth over £174 million a year. Ridiculous.
History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFCpic.twitter.com/oan7nu8NWC
If you’d asked football fans just a few months ago where they thought CR7, one of the most successful and popular sporting figures in history, was going to go next, we imagine not many would have said the Saudi Pro League.
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Ronaldo’s second spell at United was a turbulent one, to say the least, ending in arguably some of the most hostile circumstances we’ve seen in some time.
Angered by being named among the substitutes on a number of occasions by Erik ten Hag, the all-time club and international goalscorer insisted that he wanted to keep playing at the highest level, forcing their hand to ensure he could start games elsewhere. And now he’s playing in Saudi Arabia.
While the footballing veteran insisted the club had blocked a move away from the club before his eventual exodus, the manner of his departure — going after his own team and colleague in such a public manner — no doubt scared off many of his previous suitors.
On the other hand, not only were Al-Nassr one of very few clubs that feasibly could still afford his immense wages but as he is entering the twilight of his career, it’s fair to say that his effectiveness has diminished in recent years.
Ronaldo will obviously score a shedload of goals over in the Gulf nation but barring a move back to Portugal for much less money, Qatari-owned PSG (not likely while Messi is still there), or a move to the MLS (also highly unlikely for much more serious reasons), this looks like the start of the end.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
31st December 2022 
