Gerry Cardinale Considers Al-Nassr Purchase – Ronaldo's Future in the Boardroom
Gerry Cardinale eyes Al-Nassr – and a future with Ronaldo in the boardroom
Cristiano Ronaldo is still chasing goals at a frightening pace. Now there is a serious possibility he could end up chasing boardroom decisions as well.
Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners is exploring a move to buy Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a deal that would not only reshape the Saudi Pro League landscape but could also turn Ronaldo into a part-owner of the club he currently captains.
This is not a speculative hedge fund sniffing around a novelty asset. RedBird has already planted its flag across European football: an 85 per cent majority stake in Toulouse in 2020, followed by the takeover of AC Milan in 2022. Add Al-Nassr to that portfolio and you suddenly have a powerful multi-club network with Christian Pulisic in Milan, Ronaldo in Riyadh, and a clear American investment imprint binding them together.
Cardinale’s Saudi play
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Cardinale confirmed that Al-Nassr is firmly on his radar, even if the process is only just beginning.
"There have been discussions to assess the Al-Nassr opportunity and I was contacted to look into it, but we are at a preliminary stage. I work a lot in the Middle East," he said, laying out the reality: interest is real, but this is still the first lap, not the home straight.
RedBird has long been intrigued by the leverage and data-sharing possibilities of a multi-club model. Toulouse provided a foothold. Milan delivered global reach and heritage. Al-Nassr would add something different again: access to a booming league backed by state wealth and fronted by one of the most famous athletes on the planet.
And that athlete is central to Cardinale’s thinking.
A meeting with Ronaldo on the horizon
Cardinale did not hide his curiosity about working with Ronaldo beyond the touchline.
"I'd like to meet Ronaldo because I'm curious to find out what he might want to do when he retires and what his future involvement with the Saudi club might be. I'll continue to assess the possibilities of managing multiple clubs, although I already have Toulouse and AC Milan," he said.
Ronaldo’s contract in Saudi Arabia runs until June 2027. On current evidence, he is in no rush to fade into the background. Yet Cardinale is already looking at the next act: what does a post-playing Ronaldo look like at Al-Nassr? Ambassador? Sporting director? Co-owner?
If RedBird completes a deal, the club’s captain could one day walk into the boardroom as a stakeholder, not just a club legend whose picture hangs on the wall.
Ronaldo, the “alien” still rewriting numbers
While executives crunch numbers and sketch structures, Ronaldo continues to ignore the normal rules of ageing.
On Thursday, the 39-year-old struck a hat-trick in Al-Nassr’s wild 5-3 Saudi Pro League win over Al-Kholood, edging him closer to the almost mythical 1,000-goal career mark. That treble leaves him just 15 goals shy of the milestone.
The match turned into a spectacle worthy of the narrative. Eight goals, end-to-end chaos, and one man inevitably seizing the spotlight. Among those watching was world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who summed up Ronaldo’s performance with a single phrase: "an alien".
It did not feel like hyperbole. Not when a player closing in on 40 is still deciding games with this kind of authority.
Ronaldo, as ever, made sure his voice carried beyond the pitch. After the final whistle he went straight to social media: "Great win, great team performance," he wrote. "Happy to help with a hat trick!"
The message was short, sharp, and perfectly in tune with a night that added another layer to his legend.
A milestone in sight, a new role taking shape
The countdown to 1,000 goals will now follow Ronaldo from stadium to stadium in the Saudi Pro League. Every chance, every penalty, every free-kick will be framed by that looming number.
At the same time, another storyline gathers pace away from the cameras: RedBird’s talks, the valuation of Al-Nassr, the potential structure that could bring Ronaldo into ownership once his boots are finally hung up.
If Cardinale pushes ahead, Al-Nassr would sit alongside Toulouse and AC Milan in a growing RedBird constellation, with Ronaldo as both its brightest star and, one day, perhaps one of its decision-makers.
For a forward once defined purely by goals, the next chapter might be written in balance sheets and board votes. The only real question now: will he hit 1,000 before he signs his first deal as more than just Al-Nassr’s captain?
