Ronaldo joins Brazilian giants? Botafogo coach: He is still a goal machine

Cristiano Ronaldo's future for victory in Riyadh is becoming increasingly unclear, his contract expires next month and now he has a scandal with his Brazilian side. According to Spanish Le Marca, Ronaldo has received an invitation from an unnamed Brazilian club, hoping that he will join this summer. "Marca" said that the invitation was "very tempting" to the Portuguese international. If he accepted it, he would have the opportunity to participate in the Club World Cup and compete with Messi again.

In 2023, Riyadh victory attracted the former Real Madrid and Manchester United legend to the Saudi League with a staggering salary. With Cristiano Ronaldo's proof, many top players gave up their European careers and turned to Saudi Arabia to pursue wealth. However, despite scoring 91 goals in 103 games, Ronaldo failed to bring a trophy to the victory of Riyadh. The report said that this made him start thinking about his future - where should the final chapter of his career be placed?

In January this year, it was reported that Ronaldo was about to sign a generous one-year contract with Riyadh, which will bring him 185 million euros in revenue, or 550,000 euros per day. However, the 40-year-old has not yet entrusted his future to Riyadh to win, and speculation has been growing recently about his dissatisfaction with the club for not being able to win the championship.

Ronaldo performed well this season, scoring 33 goals in 39 games, but Riyadh won the AFC Champions League semi-finals to the Japanese team Kawasaki striker. In the Saudi domestic league, Riyadh won only rank third. With only the last two rounds of the league, they not only have no hope of winning the championship, but also have a high chance of missing the AFC Champions League next season.

"Marca" said that a Brazilian club qualified to participate in this year's Club World Cup has contacted Ronaldo. There are four clubs in Brazil that are eligible to participate in this year's World Cup, namely Botafogo, Flamengo, Fruminense and Palmeiras.

However, although the report of Marca is very clear and clear, some analysts still believe that Ronaldo's transfer to Brazil in order to participate in the Club World Cup is extremely unlikely. First, Ronaldo's victory with Riyadh expires on June 30, and the Club World Cup match begins on June 13 and ends on June 27. All four Brazilian clubs may be eliminated before Ronaldo becomes a free agent. The second is economic factors. Brazilian clubs are simply unable to provide salary similar to Ronaldo’s current income in Saudi Arabia.

Regarding the rumors that Ronaldo may join the Brazilian team, Botafogo coach Renato Paiva thinks this is unlikely. He joked: "Christmas won't arrive until December (meaning that Ronaldo is a Christmas gift, and it's too early to give Christmas gifts in May)... But if he comes, you can't refuse such a star. I don't know anything, I'm just answering this question."

"However, as I said, the coach always wants to have the best lineup. Even at the age of 40, Ronaldo is still a goal machine. In a team that can constantly create opportunities, he will perform well."

Paiva then hinted that the only person who can answer this question is Botafogo's American boss John Texter.

"This question needs to be asked in another language," he said.

In any case, Ronaldo is full of motivation to continue his career. The 2026 World Cup is an important goal. The next stop in his club career is full of suspense and he is about to make a decision.