Al Nassr are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo a new contract that will cement his status as the highest-paid player in world football as well as see him take a minority stake in the Saudi club, according to reports.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Nassr have proposed a one-year extension to the 39-year-old's contract that expires this summer. Both Marca and the Daily Mail reported that Ronaldo's new deal is worth €200 million as well as a five per cent stake in the Riyadh club.
Nassr are one of four teams owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has a 75 per cent stake in the club, as well as rivals Al Ittihad, Al Ahli and Al Hilal.
Nassr shook the football world two years ago with the announcement they had signed Ronaldo as a free agent after the Portuguese superstar had his contract at Manchester United terminated in December 2022.
His arrival has paved the way for a flood of others to move to the kingdom including 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, Brazil forward Neymar and two-time African player of the year Sadio Mane.
The former Sporting, Real Madrid and Juventus player is largely credited with transforming the Saudi Pro League into a global brand and has also helped promote the country's tourism as well as attended high-profile events outside of football such as boxing and UFC.
Following Saudi Arabia's successful bid to host the 2034 World Cup, Ronaldo backed the kingdom to deliver "the best World Cup ever".
Ronaldo has enjoyed a prolific spell during his two-year stint in Riyadh, netting 81 goals in 90 games across competitions, though he is yet to win a major trophy with only the lightly regarded 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup to show from his time in Saudi Arabia.
Nassr and Ronaldo's trophy prospects this season are looking increasingly thin. They sit third in the league table, 12 points behind joint leaders Al Hilal and Al Ittihad who have both played a game more.
Nassr are already of out the King's Cup, leaving the AFC Champions League Elite competition as their only realistic prospect of a trophy this season. Nassr are currently third in the revamped competition.
Ronaldo is the most prolific goalscorer in the history of men's football, netting more than 900 times in over 1,200 games including 135 goals in 217 appearances for Portugal.
He is the only player to have scored over 100 goals in three of Europe's top leagues (Premier League, La Liga and Serie A) and has won 30 major titles.
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
How Beautiful this world is!
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
