Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the attention of European football when he recently participated in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage draw. Ronaldo was awarded for his contributions to the tournament and was the one who pressed the button to run the software that draws opponents for each club.
Ronaldo, with 140 goals in the Champions League, received the award with his former Juventus teammate, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
When UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin teased that Ronaldo was no longer playing in the world’s biggest tournament, Ronaldo joked: “Don’t forget I’m still playing in the AFC Champions League.”
Since leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo has not had the chance to enjoy the atmosphere of the European Cup 1 but he said he could return to the Old Continent to play in the near future. This is in contrast to Ronaldo himself saying not long ago that he could end his career in Saudi Arabia.
“It is an honour for me to be here and I would like to thank the president for this award, it means a lot to me. The Champions League is the biggest club competition in the world and I have had the opportunity to play in it, even holding the record for the competition. Who knows if I will be able to play at this highest level again, the future is unpredictable,” he said.
Also in the conversation before the draw, Ronaldo said that the two championships he had the most memories of were 2008 with Manchester United and 2014 with Real Madrid. The first time with Real Madrid seemed to relieve a lot of pressure on him personally, making the next championships come more easily.
