Unwanted by Europe’s elite clubs, Cristiano Ronaldo’s steep decline has been laid bare by a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr that signals the end of his reign as one of football’s most feared strikers.

Ronaldo will be officially unveiled by Al Nassr on Tuesday after agreeing a contract that runs until 2025 and is reportedly worth more than 200 million euros.

But the riches and fanfare that await the 37-year-old in Saudi Arabia are at odds with his reduced status as a fallen star trading on past heroics.

For Ronaldo to be forced to play out what will surely be the final chapter of his glittering career in the football backwater of Saudi Arabia is a damning indictment of his lacklustre form over the last 18 months.

Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, heads to the Gulf after a painful year that saw him relegated to the Portugal bench and cut adrift by Manchester United.

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