Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has told Al-Nassr fans he will 'see you soon' after completing his transfer to the Saudi Arabia club on Friday.
Ronaldo left Old Trafford back in November following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan. During the conversation, the Portugal captain criticised United, Erik ten Hag, the Glazers and former teammates Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney.
During the interview, Ronaldo claimed that he did not see money as a contributing factor when moving to a new club. He explained this as a reason for not signing for a Saudi Arabian club in the past.
However, on Friday he backtracked on this claim when he announced that he would be joining Al-Nassr until 2025. It is reported that the 37-year-old will earn £172m per year at the club.
Ahead of his official unveiling, Ronaldo took to his Instagram story from a luxury plane to tell supporters that he will be arriving soon. Shortly afterwards, his new club took to the same social media site to announce that his unveiling to the fans will take place at 4pm GMT on Tuesday, January 3 at Mrsool Park.
Al-Nassr added: "All eyes on Riyadh as the world's greatest, Cristiano Ronaldo, will be unveiled in Al-Nassr colours for the very first time." Ten Hag and United came to the decision to part ways with Ronaldo following the full release of the Morgan interview.
The decision has left United in need of a centre forward with Anthony Martial the only recognised striker in the first team squad. Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo may well face off against Lionel Messi one last time after PSG organised a friendly match against an Al-Nassr and Al Hilal combined XI on Thursday, January 19.
Sharing a story to Instagram on Monday afternoon, the buoyant Portuguese superstar pointed to the camera whilst winking and said: 'Hi guys, see you soon!'.
Ronaldo, who cut an excited and relaxed figure ahead of his trip to the Middle East, left Manchester United acrimoniously in November after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, which criticised both the club and manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo is set to undergo his Al Nassr medical on Tuesday ahead of the club's official unveiling of the 37-year-old superstar later that day.
Al Nassr have confirmed that they plan to unveil Ronaldo at their 30,000-seater stadium, Mrsool Park, at 7pm local time on Tuesday evening (4pm GMT).
According to Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah, Al Nassr are ready to 'throw a party' at the same level of Ronaldo's Real Madrid unveiling in 2009.
Announcing the news on Instagram, the club proudly displayed the hashtag 'Cristiano is yellow' with an image of him performing his trademark celebration.
Ronaldo's wife Georgina Rodriguez also took to Instagram to post pictures of what appeared to be the plane to Saudi Arabia. The 28-year-old model accompanied her gallery of images with the caption: 'Not without me!'.
It is understood the veteran and his family will stay in a luxury hotel in the capital while he looks to find a fixed residence in Riyadh.
Should Ronaldo prove he is fit enough to feature against Al Ta'ee on Thursday, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could well earn his Al Nassr debut this week.
Although Thursday's Saudi Pro League clash may present too difficult a turnaround in terms of match sharpness, manager Rudi Garcia will be keen for the ex-Red Devils striker to build up some crucial minutes ahead of his side's top-of-the-table showdown against Al Shabab next Saturday.
As Al Nassr must wait a fortnight until they next host a match at Mrsool Park, the Saudi club will no doubt want Ronaldo to feature on Thursday before having to wait two more weeks to show off the all-time great to their fans.
Should Ronaldo miss out versus Al Ta'ee, he will likely make his home debut against Ettifaq on January 21.
It is only a matter of time until the Portuguese icon plays his first match outside of a European league, having starred for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus previously during his illustrious career.
On New Year's Eve, head coach Garcia bizarrely risked upsetting Ronaldo as he told reporters that he wanted to sign Lionel Messi first, following the Argentine's World Cup heroics last month.
When asked about Ronaldo's arrival in Saudi Arabia, Garcia jokingly admitted: 'First I tried to take Messi'.
The French coach, formerly of Roma, Marseille and Lyon, took charge of Al Nassr back in June.
Having fallen out of favour with both Ten Hag and former Portuguese manager Fernando Santos during the World Cup, Ronaldo has made a habit of holding tense relationships with his bosses.
The forward, who claimed in his bombshell interview with Morgan that he felt 'betrayed' by Manchester United, admitted he had no respect for Ten Hag following the Dutchman's arrival at Old Trafford this summer.
He said: 'I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you.'