FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said “there are discussions” for Cristiano Ronaldo to play at this summer’s newly-expanded Club World Cup.
Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s current club, did not qualify to play in the tournament with their Riyadh-based rivals Al Hilal the only Saudi Arabian club competing in the tournament.
Representatives of the 40-year-old Portugal forward, speaking to The Athletic, expressed their unhappiness at Infantino’s comments regarding Ronaldo’s future.
Ronaldo has been in negotiations to extend his contract with Al Nassr and while no agreement has been found, there are no plans for him to exit in a loan deal.
“Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well at the Club World Cup,” Infantino told IShowSpeed, the American YouTuber and online streamer. “There are discussions.”
When asked again if Ronaldo would play in the tournament, Infantino responded: “Yeah, Cristiano Ronaldo might play in the Club World Cup, yeah.
“There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup…who knows, who knows.”
When asked if “Inter Miami are going to go against (Real) Madrid, maybe”, Infantino replied: “Maybe, it could be.”
In October, FIFA, world football’s governing body, unanimously approved a proposal that allows national associations to create an “exceptional registration window” from June 1 to June 10, enabling teams competing in the Club World Cup to complete transfers before the tournament.
The revamped Club World Cup takes place between June 14 and July 13 in the United States.
The tournament will consist of 32 teams, including Ronaldo’s former sides Real Madrid and Juventus. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami also qualified for the tournament through the host nation slot after winning the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield.
FIFA have struggled to sell tickets for some group matches in the Club World Cup, with The Athletic detailing last week how the organisation has dropped the price of tickets once again, with a new tier of lower pricing.
FIFA has been operating a “variable pricing model” for this tournament, which is more commonly known as dynamic pricing. When demand is high, this can lead to prices skyrocketing, while when demand is low, it can work in the favour of the consumer and lead to lower prices.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in December 2022 after having had his contract terminated at Manchester United.
Ronaldo began his career at Sporting CP before starring at Manchester United, where he scored 118 goals across six seasons, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.
The forward won the first of five Ballon d’Or titles for the best men’s player of a calendar year in 2008, before joining Real Madrid in 2009 — where he became the club’s all-time record goal scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances, winning 15 trophies including four Champions League titles.
He went on to score 101 goals across three seasons at Italian club Juventus, winning two Serie A titles, before returning to United in 2021 and joining Al Nassr 16 months later.
Ronaldo, who has 935 goals in his professional career, is the record goal scorer in international football with 136 goals in 219 caps for Portugal.
(Top image of Cristiano Ronaldo: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
