Ronaldo the latest star to end career in soccer outpost
FILE - Pele of the New York Cosmos gestures during a press conference in New York on Sept. 29, 1977. Cristiano Ronaldo is not the first soccer superstar to head off to one of the world’s supposed minor leagues in the latter years of his career. Many of soccer's biggest names like Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Zico, Xavi Hernandez and now the 37-year-old Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have found themselves prolonging their careers at unlikely soccer outposts usually for vast amounts of money. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ira Schwarz]
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the first soccer superstar to head off to one of the world’s supposed minor leagues in the latter years of his career. The temptation for one last huge payday, to be a trailblazer in a nation looking to boost its standing in the sport, or just to try something different often can be too big to resist. Many of soccer’s biggest names like Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Zico, Xavi Hernandez and now the 37-year-old Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have found themselves prolonging their careers at unlikely soccer outposts usually for vast amounts of money.
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FILE - Qatar's Al-Sadd player Xavi Hernandez, former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, controls the ball during an AFC Champions League match at the Azadi stadium in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo is not the first soccer superstar to head off to one of the world’s supposed minor leagues in the latter years of his career. Many of soccer's biggest names like Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Zico, Xavi Hernandez and now the 37-year-old Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have found themselves prolonging their careers at unlikely soccer outposts usually for vast amounts of money. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Vahid Salemi