- Teddy Sheringham has made a shock claim about Cristiano Ronaldo’s future
- The 40-year-old’s contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of next season
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Teddy Sheringham discussed the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Europe when his contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of next season.
Ronaldo penned a new contract with Saudi Pro League club worth over £167.9million at the start of the year, confirming his status as the highest paid footballer in the world.
The Portuguese frontman will be 41 years old by the time his deal is up in June 2026. Last year, he revealed he would like to go into club ownership one day, but whether his playing career continues beyond next season is unknown.
Ronaldo has not expressed a strong desire to return to a top European club, and seems to be content with the sun setting on his career in Riyadh.
Nevertheless, speculation has flown around that clubs may look to sign him on a short-term deal, while he is still able to provide some goalscoring output.
Sheringham was asked whether he thinks Ronaldo would be open to joining Man City for this summer’s Club World Cup, in light of Erling Haaland’s injury, which is expected to keep him out for the duration of the tournament.
Teddy Sheringham claimed Ronaldo would ‘jump at the chance’ to join Man City this summer
The striker’s contract with Al-Nassr expires in June 2026, with his future beyond that unknown
Ronaldo came very close to joining Man City in 2021, before his second stint at Old Trafford
Sheringham told Casino Apps: ‘I mean, Man United fans wouldn’t be happy. If the figures add up, Ronaldo would probably jump at the chance. He can definitely score a goal, can’t he? That, there’s no denying.
‘Yeah, they [Man City] looked a little bit lost without their focal point [Haaland in the Manchester derby], didn’t they? They didn’t have that same flow to their team, but I don’t know.
‘Wow, I’ve not even thought about that, Ronaldo would definitely be excited by it [moving to Man City]. That would be funny.
‘I bet if you offered him the chance to go to Man City, he would bite your hand off.’
Ronaldo once came close to joining City in August 2021, hours before he spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson and eventually agreed to begin a second spell at United.
Ronaldo was asked at the Globe Soccer Awards in December 2024 if he would give City a ‘helping hand’ in the winter transfer window. He replied: ‘You never know what is going to happen.’
While no deal materialised in the end, it seems that Ronaldo is not opposed to moving back to Europe. Whether the continent’s top teams share a reciprocal interest in such a move is unclear.
