The failure of Al Nassr's season to end another year without winning any trophies has left Cristiano Ronaldo extremely frustrated. And everything indicates that the Portuguese top scorer is very willing to leave Saudi soccer to return to a much more competitive league with a view to playing in the 2026 World Cup.
But the last few hours have seen a considerable turnaround regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's possible future fate. The latest reports indicate that the Portuguese has received an offer from a Brazilian team that will be competing in the FIFA Club World Cup, and CR7 would be willing to accept yet another challenge in his long career.
It's worth remembering that Cristiano Ronaldo was in talks with Al Nassr about renewing his contract and even suggested a change of coach. However, CR7 is said to have considered that his time at the club may have come to an end, after the team missed out on qualification for the 2025/26 Asian Champions League. The Brazilian clubs that will be in the United States in June consist of Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Palmeiras.
Flamengo and Fluminense unlikely to sign CR7
Considering that the current management of Flamengo (coached by Filipe Luís, a former Atlético Madrid player) consists of prioritizing the scouting department to map out high-potential, low-cost players on the transfer market, everything indicates that the rubro-negro carioca would not be that team interested in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Another team that is unlikely to have made such an offer is Fluminense, who are going through a period of great financial difficulties. In addition, Thiago Silva's team (a former Chelsea player) needs more affirmation with its current squad, even though current coach Renato Portaluppi has already worked with Luis Suárez at Grêmio
Palmeiras and Botafogo are trained by Portuguese coaches
So we have the Brazilian favorites to feature Cristiano Ronaldo. One of those teams is Palmeiras, who have been under the command of Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira for five years, in one of the longest and most successful jobs in the history of Brazilian soccer. A few days ago, CEO Leila Pereira dismissed rumors linking Palmeiras to CR7, but she has a history of not commenting on ongoing negotiations.
Finally, there is Botafogo, which is led by businessman John Textor, who also owns Lyon, and which holds shares in Crystal Palace, the current FA Cup champions, and is coached by Portuguese coach Renato Paiva, responsible for a great phase in Benfica's youth system. Recently, Al Nassr's CEO said that Crystal Palace and Botafogo had made contact to make investments and establish cooperation agreements, allowing the reigning Conmebol Libertadores champions to have made contact with Cristiano Ronaldo's staff.