Ronaldo contract states he MUST attend Saudi Arabian GP

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 14 Mar 2023 21:09 GMT
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo must reportedly attend the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as part of his mega-money contract for the country. The superstar joined Al Nassr in January and is currently being paid a mouthwatering £173 million per year.

But on his contract, it states that he must go to F1’s return to Jeddah.

The Sun report that he will be ‘requested to attend’ the event. It comes after his current side Al Nassr previously denied that the former Manchester United star had a clause in his contract saying he must become an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid when his time playing football is up.

Ronaldo has been seen at Formula One events before. At the 2019 F1 Monaco Grand Prix, he was snapped alongside Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, while two years ago, he visited the Ferrari HQ at Maranello and met Charles Leclerc.

The Portuguese superstar has scored eight goals in his first seven games since joining the Riyahd-based club.

Zaha to join Ronaldo?

It comes after reports that Ronaldo could soon be joined in Saudi Arabia by Wilfried Zaha. Al-Ittihad are looking at a move for the Crystal Palace star, who will be available as a free agent this summer. It is thought that he will be offered a bumper deal to make the move to the Middle East.

The Ivory Coast international is yet to renew his deal with the Premier League outfit while speculation surrounds his future. The Eagles have submitted a contract offer that would make him the highest player in their history- but has not been accepted yet.

The Daily Mail claims Zaha's representatives have been approached by Al-Ittihad, and the club are willing to pay him £9m after tax annually. Al-Ittihad are title rivals of Al-Nassr and it would represent another famous face from the Premier League heading over to play in the Saudi Pro League.