Cristiano Ronaldo has met with new club manager Ange Postecoglou after the former Spurs boss was announced as the new boss of Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Australian Postecoglou takes over from Jorge Jesus, who left the club after delivering the Saudi Pro League title last year to become manager of the Portugal national team – captained by Ronaldo.
More than eight months have passed since he was ruthlessly sacked by Nottingham Forest having been in charge at the City Ground for just 39 days. He has landed a two-year deal to manage Ronaldo & Co in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, he welcomed star man Ronaldo with open arms, with Al-Nassr’s social media accounts sharing snaps of the duo embracing.
Ronaldo had finished his holiday following the World Cup, with Portugal eliminated by winners Spain at the round of 16 stage on July 6 – 29 days ago.
The forward and his wife and children had been holidaying in Mallorca, but Ronaldo was in attendance at Al-Nassr’s friendly against Almeria.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) has met new manager Ange Postecoglou (right) at Al-Nassr
He will again play a key role in his side’s quest to defend their league title, earning £488,000 a day.
According to reports in Saudi Arabia, however, the club are facing a financial crisis that has halted transfers and delayed salary payments.
Al-Riyadiyah report that several first-team players received their June salaries in instalments, while the club’s hierarchy have been working to settle the upcoming outstanding amounts.
There is, however, a lack of detailed information regarding how many players have been affected, how much of their salary remains unpaid and when any outstanding balances are expected to be settled. The seriousness of the club’s long-term financial situation therefore remains unclear.
Despite his struggles at Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, Postecoglou’s rich history of winning trophies saw him edge out rivals for the job, including current Portugal manager Roberto Martinez.
He ended Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy drought by defeating Manchester United to win the Europa League in Bilbao last year, while previously having won five trophies, including the treble, up in Scotland with Celtic.
