French lower-league football club Versailles quickly rubbished any suggestions they might be in the mix for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's Al-Nassr contract expires at the end of the current season, prompting speculation over what might come next. The 40-year-old could yet extend his stay with the Saudi club, while a return to European club football remains a possibility with the World Cup a little over a year away.
There have also been some more unexpected links, with one parody account suggesting on social media that FC Versailles could be the veteran's next destination. With the club currently fighting against relegation from the French third tier, it was certainly a curious choice - and one which most fans took as the joke it was.
Versailles themselves played along - up to a point. The club put out a press release bearing Ronaldo's name, but those clicking through were treated to a simple five-word message. “Are you stupid or what?” it read.
Fans enjoyed the post, with one urging the club to "give the community manager a raise". Another wrote: "The CM is a genius, I didn't expect that".
Versailles' response comes just weeks after Ronaldo took aim at French football, claiming the Saudi Pro League was stronger than Ligue 1. The comments brought disagreement from former France international Adil Rami, who claimed Ronaldo ""Talks s***.
"You want me to show you images of the defenders in Saudi Arabia. It's not because he's had a crazy career that as soon as he says something it's the truth. I think it's a PR stunt. We have defenders, they are machines! You put him in Ligue 1 and he gets eaten," Rami added.
Roberto De Zerbi, manager of Ligue 1 high-flyers Marseille, also disagreed with Ronaldo. "It is a stronger league than people outside of France may think," the former Brighton boss said.
Ronaldo is the top Saudi Pro League scorer in the 2024-25 season, finding the net 16 times in 18 appearances, and has 65 goals in as many games since moving to Al-Nassr. The Riyadh-based club have yet to win a league title since his arrival midway through the 2022-23 campaign, though, and they're currently eight points adrift of league leaders Al-Ittihad.
Stevelonaire
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Mention Cristiano Ronaldo, and you suddenly become a human being, that's how blessed Cristiano Ronaldo is! He will bring a dead and forgotten media house, a sports team, a player, and even a human being back to relevance with just the mention of his name!