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Cristiano Ronaldo signs £173m-a-year contract after bitter Man Utd exit

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Cristiano Ronaldo has completed a transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr following his acrimonious departure from Manchester United.

The 37-year-old had been without a club since United mutually terminated his contract in November, ending a tumultuous second spell at Old Trafford. The Red Devils relieved Ronaldo of his duties after an explosive and unsanctioned interview with Piers Morgan, in which he most notably criticised manager Erik ten Hag and owners the Glazers while claiming that he was “betrayed” by the club.

Now, though, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has found a new team in Al-Nassr. Ronaldo has penned a lucrative two-and-a-half year deal with the Saudi Arabian outfit and is expected to earn around £173million per year in the Middle East. A statement from the club on Friday night read: “This is more than 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.”

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Ronaldo added: “Al Nassr’s vision is very inspiring and impressive. I look forward to a different league experience in a different country. I am excited to join my team-mates as soon as possible.”

Al-Nassr currently sit at the top of the Saudi Pro League, having won seven of their opening 10 matches. They’ve conceded just six goals in the process, while Cameroon star Vincent Aboubakar leading the line. Ronaldo’s new side, managed by French boss Rudi Garcia, drew 1-1 with fourth-place Al-Hilal on Boxing Day. Ex-Benfica ace Anderson Talisca scored one of their goals, as former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina played between the posts.


With Ronaldo set to join the attack, Al-Nassr could become a force to be reckoned with, as Garcia and co attempt to dominate their nation and the Club World Cup also a growing priority. Al-Hilal came fourth in the 2021 tournament, with Chelsea winning the competition after beating Brazilian side Palmeiras in the final.

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Al-Nassr could be the next Saudi side on the world stage and Ronaldo will no-doubt be keen to help them on their way, especially given his remarkable goalscoring record for club and country over the years. Although Ronaldo struggled in his final months at Old Trafford, scoring just three goals in 16 appearances for United, he found the net an impressive 24 times during the 2021-22 campaign.

Throughout his 21-year senior career, Ronaldo has racked up a whopping 701 club goals in 951 appearances, winning a series of major honours in the meantime. The Portuguese megastar has collected seven league titles in three different countries – namely England, Spain and Italy – five Champions League trophies and an array of honours, both collectively and as an individual.

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Athletics Open: Amusan wins gold, sets new record in Taiwan

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Nigerian and world women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan,on Saturday won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the New Taipei Athletics Open in Taiwan.

Amusan struck gold ahead of Taiwanese duo Bo Ya Zhang, who settled for second place in 13.17s, and Yi Po-an took third place in 13.37s.

The 29-year-old’s winning time of 12.72s is also a new meeting record, chalking off 0.08s off the previous mark of 12.80s held by Nia Ali, US Olympic silver medalist and former world champion.

Amusan was dominant in the qualifiers for the final, blowing away the field in Heat 2, and continued the form in the final to deliver a swashbuckling race that thrilled the crowd.

She took the lead outright after the fourth hurdle, leaving Zhang behind.

The three-time Senior Africa Athletics Championship winner crossed the finish line before the last competing athlete cleared the final hurdle, to the amazement of screaming spectators.

See also  Cristiano Ronaldo loses baby son

It is the second consecutive race Amusan will break a meeting record this athletics season, she also broke her meeting record in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the Rabat Diamond League.

She has won three of five races this season, and has not failed to claim a podium finish.

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Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

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Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

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City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.

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WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

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Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

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The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

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