Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, recently signed a contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr until 2025, earning £170 million (6.35 billion Taiwan dollars) a year, or 15.9 billion Taiwan dollars in just two and a half years. Despite leaving the Europa League, the five-time Champions League winner could still return to the competition, as his contract includes a "loan clause," according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
▲Crow traveled to Saudi Arabia by private jet. (Photo/taken from IG)
Crowe, who arrived in Saudi Arabia by private jet on the evening of the 2nd Taiwan time, updated his social media with a smile on his face and declared to his fans: "See you all soon!" The 37-year-old Portuguese star has just signed the highest-paid contract in soccer history, earning more than NT$30 million a week.
Leaving the top European league for Saudi Arabia's Aynas seemed to signal the end of Crowe's Champions League career. However, Marca has pointed out that his new contract includes a loan clause, which would see him go on loan to English Premier League side Newcastle United if they progress to the Champions League. This is because both Aynas and Newcastle United are owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
▲ C Luo joined Saudi Arabia's strong team Ainas. (Photo: taken from IG, same below)
Crowe has won five Champions League trophies and set a number of Champions League records, including the most goals in Champions League history (140), the most goals in a single Champions League season (17), the most goals in the Champions League knockout stages (67), the most appearances in the Champions League (183), and has been awarded the Champions League Golden Boot seven times.
However, Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi, who is still playing in the Europa League and currently plays for French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, has scored 129 goals in the Champions League, just 12 short of surpassing Crowe's record for most goals scored. If Crowe bids farewell to the Champions League, it may only be a matter of time before Messi surpasses his record.
Marca also reported that Crowe had hoped to return to Real Madrid, the La Liga giants where he played for nine seasons, and was even willing to take a pay cut and play a secondary role in the team. This was almost unthinkable for the highly competitive Crow. But in the end, he was unable to stay in Europe's top league and instead headed to Saudi Arabia to start a new chapter. He said the other day, "I've won everything I wanted in European football and I think it's time to share my experience in Asia."
