Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly hopeful that Real Madrid would offer him a contract following his release from Manchester United at the end of November.
The 37-year-old's explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV led to Man United terminating his contract, with the Portugal international becoming a free agent during the 2022 World Cup.
Ronaldo was believed to be keen to continue his career in European football, but he has now completed a move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.
The deal was confirmed on Friday, with the experienced forward penning a deal until June 2025, and it is believed that he could earn £177m a year once all bonuses have been taken into consideration.
However, according to Marca, Ronaldo wanted to return to Real Madrid.
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The report claims that the forward 'waited for a call from Los Blancos', but the Spanish and European champions signalled that they were not interested in re-signing him.
Ronaldo trained at Real Madrid's complex last month, sparking rumours that he could return to Bernabeu, but Carlo Ancelotti's side were not prepared to offer him a contract.
The Portuguese previously represented the capital outfit between 2009 and 2018, scoring 450 goals and registering 131 assists in 438 appearances in all competitions.
Ronaldo is comfortably Real Madrid's leading goalscorer, with Karim Benzema second on the list with 331, while he won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and four Champions League trophies during his time in Madrid.
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Chelsea and Sporting Lisbon had also been credited with an interest in the attacker before it became clear that he would be making the move to Saudi Arabia.
"I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia," Ronaldo said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr said: "History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves."
Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes was allegedly not involved in his move to Saudi Arabia amid suggestions of a breakdown in their relationship.
Th forward was allegedly close to joining MLS outfit Sporting Kansas City before ultimately deciding to make the move to Al-Nassr.
Matt Law
