NICOSIA: Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will earn 200 million euros to promote Saudi Arabia's joint 2030 World Cup bid in addition to his club salary, a source close to his club told AFP Monday. The Portuguese superstar, 37, unveiled to thousands of Al Nassr fans in Riyadh last week, is by far the most famous player to sign for a club in Saudi or any other Gulf country. The oil-rich kingdom, along with Egypt and Greece, is considering a bid to host world football's 2030 showpiece tournament, and Ronaldo's ambassadorial role will bring his reported earnings in the country to over 400 million euros ($428 million).

"Ronaldo will be paid more than 200 million euros ($214 million) for the deal," said the source, with knowledge of the deal but who requested anonymity. "He will be an ambassador for the Saudi World Cup 2030 bid for another 200 million." The arrival of the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player came just weeks after neighboring Qatar became the first Arab nation to host the World Cup.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has also won the Champions League five times and holds that tournament's goal-scoring record, is expected to make his Al Nassr debut on Jan 22. The deal has been financed by the conservative kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the source added. "Al Nassr and the other Saudi clubs don't have this huge fund for such a big deal. It's PIF that secured the payment," the source said.

Recently the PIF has undertaken other high-profile sporting ventures, including the purchase of a majority stake in English Premier League club Newcastle United. It has also bankrolled the lucrative LIV Golf League, which has split the elite golf world by luring away top stars from the US PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Al Nassr has nine Saudi league titles but have never won the Asian Champions League, unlike four-time winners Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, who have lifted the trophy twice.

Like 'Pele'

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's new club coach Rudi Garcia on Sunday compared the Portuguese star's arrival at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia to Pele's signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975. "It's a bit like Pele's arrival" in what was then the North American Soccer League, Garcia told AFP. "Especially for the development of football, sport and culture in Saudi Arabia."

At 34, Pele came out of partial retirement to spark an explosion of interest in football in the United States. Ronaldo, at 37, is coming out of a bitter divorce with Manchester United. "It's great. Great for us, for Al-Nassr. Great for Saudi Arabia," said Frenchman Garcia. "Cristiano Ronaldo is more than a player. He is one of the best players in the world."

Garcia was speaking on a visit to the Riyadh bivouac of the Dakar Rally which is being held in Saudi Arabia. "For the development of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, it is very, very important," said Garcia. "If today the Dakar is here, it brings home that in sports and cultural development a country can do a lot. It's amazing how much it's put a spotlight on our club. Now everyone knows where our club is around the world," said Garcia of Ronaldo's off-field impact, particularly on social media. "We must have gone from 800,000 (followers) to 10 million in a few hours, a few days, because of Cristiano's arrival."

Garcia said he was delighted with his new star. "The greatest champions are the easiest to manage," he said. "He blended in with the squad. We saw him joking and laughing with pleasure with his new teammates. He was with us for the last game, even if he couldn't play. He was in the locker room, riding his bike."

'Smile again'

Garcia said the club was respecting Ronaldo's suspension for an incident with a fan at the end of his time in the Premier League and would not pick him for their next match, a top-of-the table encounter with Al-Shabab. Instead, he said Ronaldo's first Saudi appearance "will not be in a Al-Nassr jersey" but in a joint Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr team due to face Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, and potentially Lionel Messi, in an exhibition game scheduled for Jan 19.

"As coach of Al-Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match," said Garcia, a former manager of two of PSG's great rivals Marseille and Lyon. "We have a league game three days later." Garcia said his first objective was to make Ronaldo happy. "The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he finds the pleasure of playing and smiles again," said Garcia. "These last months between Manchester, the national team and then at the private level he has not had any easy moments. If he finds the pleasure of playing it will be a goal already achieved."

Qatar-owned PSG will travel to Doha on Jan 17 before moving on to the Saudi capital for the match at the King Fahd Stadium, which will see Messi and Ronaldo renew their rivalry. Messi returned to training with PSG last week after being given a fortnight off following Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar in December.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the sport over the last 15 years, winning the Ballon d'Or 12 times between them. Their rivalry grew during nine years in which they came up against each other in Spain, when Messi was starring for Barcelona and Ronaldo for Real Madrid. Riyadh clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr are Saudi Arabia's two most successful sides. PSG have made a habit of travelling to Qatar in winter since the Gulf state bought the club in 2011. However, this trip comes despite the Ligue 1 leaders having a French Cup tie scheduled for the weekend of Jan 21 and 22 against lower-league opponents yet to be determined. - AFP