Cristiano Ronaldo looked in an upbeat mood as he shared an update on his Instagram account, with the 37-year-old continuing to search for a new club.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been a free agent since November after being released by Manchester United following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo notably slammed Erik ten Hag and the Glazers, with the veteran forward declaring he had no "respect" for the United manager.
United confirmed in a statement on November 22 that Ronaldo had left the Red Devils by mutual consent, bringing an end to his second spell at the club, having re-joined from Juventus in 2021. Following his disappointing World Cup exploits with Portugal, Ronaldo has been linked with a mega-money move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
There have been rumours that Ronaldo has travelled to Riyadh for talks over a potential move to the Middle East. As speculation rages over his next move, Ronaldo looked in a positive mood on Thursday as he posed his first picture since Sunday's World Cup final, when Argentina defeated France.
The former Real Madrid striker posted an Instagram story of him in a health spa, with five different emojis, including goggles, water, and the freezing face.
Al-Nassr are reportedly ready offer the five-time Champions League winner a pay packet sport has never seen before. In the meantime, Ronaldo has taken some downtime to recover and stay in shape, having spent two days last week at Real's training ground.
Ronaldo's first season back at Old Trafford proved to be a success, with the frontman scoring 24 goals in 38 games in all competitions. 18 of those were netted in the Premier League as he finished third-top scorer behind Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min.
However, following Ten Hag's appointment back in May, Ronaldo's game time and opportunities were reduced. After starting the Red Devils' first two games of the season, Ronaldo dropped to the bench for the clash with Liverpool and the Red Devils ran out 2-1 winners.
That proved to be one of many frustrating encounters with Ten Hag for Ronaldo, who didn't start another Premier League game for almost two months until United played host to Newcastle on October 16. He was, however, a mainstay in the Europa League starting XI, with Ronaldo scoring twice and grabbing two assists in six appearances.
Should Cristiano Ronaldo join Al-Nassr? Have your say in the comments!
Towards the end of United's game against Tottenham in October, chaos struck. With United winning 2-0 at the time, Ronaldo refused to come on as a late substitute, stormed straight down the tunnel and walked straight out of the Old Trafford doors. The rest of his United teammates, meanwhile, celebrated their sides' performance and result.
Ten Hag expressed his frustration with Ronaldo after the incident, but their feud was resolved after a one-match suspension and the Portugal captain was recalled for the clash with West Ham on October 30. He impressed in that game and was kept in the XI for the trips to Real Sociedad and Aston Villa.
The Dutchman had that much faith in Ronaldo he handed him the captain's armband, but the 3-1 defeat at Villa Park proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the ex-Juventus player. Ronaldo went on to blast Ten Hag and the club during his interview with Morgan, resulting in the Red Devils ending their relationship with the forward.
