Cristiano Ronaldo will become an ambassador for Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid as part of the deal that has seen him join Al-Nassr.
The superstar attacker completed his move to the Saudi Pro League side on Friday night, ahead of the January transfer window. He will earn a staggering £173million per year through his basic salary, bonuses and image rights.
Al-Nassr have also inserted a separate clause into his new contract, one which mimics a deal Lionel Messi has also signed with the Middle Eastern country. Negotiations continued during the World Cup and were finally completed this week to see Ronaldo leave Europe for the first time.
According to Marca, a clause in his new contract will see Ronaldo become an ambassador for the Saudi bid for the 2030 World Cup. The Middle Eastern country is understood to be lining up a joint bid with Egypt and Greece for the right to host the tournament in six years.
Ronaldo will represent Saudi's image abroad, with his arrival said to be considered a 'matter of state'. The deal follows that of Messi's own move to become an ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is thought to earn more than £20m per year in return for him promoting the tourism to the country. Messi has already been paraded by the Saudi state during a visit in May.
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Ronaldo's decision to follow in Messi's footsteps to become an ambassador for the country will likely concern human rights groups. Saudi Arabia has been accused of a litany of abuses, including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, mass executions and the persecution of the LGBT+ community.
After Messi's deal came to light, the superstar was urged to rip up his agreement with the Saudi state. A group representing the families of prisoners in the country made their concerns clear, with Ronaldo likely to face similar calls to speak out on Saudi Arabia's abuses.
"You are an inspiration to millions and what you say and do really matters. To put it bluntly – you have enormous power, but with that power comes great responsibility," their open letter read.
"The Saudi regime wants to use you to launder its reputation. Prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia have been tortured, sexually assaulted, and held in prolonged solitary confinement – often for months at a time – on an industrial scale.
"Women’s rights campaigners, reformist preachers, Shia activists, democracy campaigners, indeed anyone who criticises or even questions the regime can face long-term imprisonment and in some cases the death penalty.
"If you say ‘yes’ to Visit Saudi you are in effect saying yes to all the human rights abuses that take place today in modern Saudi Arabia. But if you say ‘no’ you will send an equally powerful message.
"That human rights matter, that decency matters, that those who torture and murder do not do so with impunity. The world must stand up to those who trample on others."
