FIFA president cites 'discussions' for Ronaldo to play in Club World Cup

GENEVA (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo might play at the Club World Cup in the United States next month, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament.

Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr did not qualify for the Club World Cup but Infantino suggested the Portugal superstar could switch to one of the 32 teams playing in the 11-city tournament starting on June 14.

“Cristiano Ronaldo might play in the Club World Cup,” Infantino told online streamer IShowSpeed, whose YouTube channel has more than 39 million subscribers. “There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup, who knows. Still a few weeks time, will be fun.”

Ronaldo did not react on Saturday to Infantino’s speculation on his social media channels, posting just a commercial promotion to his 654 million followers on Instagram and his 115 million followers on X.

It is unclear why a FIFA president would speculate on a player transfer, though Infantino has close ties to the Saudi Arabian state which will host the 2034 World Cup and effectively controls Ronaldo's contract.

Al Nassr is among four leading Saudi clubs majority-owned by the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom's sovereign wealth operation, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Infantino was a VIP guest of the crown prince last week during U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit.

Infantino's choice of a YouTuber's channel to make news raised eyebrows across soccer, though he has avoided press conferences with international media for approaching two years, including at FIFA's annual meeting last week in Paraguay.

FIFA has engaged more and more with social media influencers and IShowSpeed took the persona of a Ronaldo superfan in Germany last year at the European Championship.

FIFA confirmed on Wednesday that last-minute transfer signings from June 1-10 are open to all 32 Club World Cup teams because their home soccer federations all took up the governing body's offer to approve the exceptional trading window.

It fueled more speculation one of them will try to sign the 40-year-old Ronaldo on a short-term deal, potentially a loan.

Such a move would be unprecedented in modern soccer, though could appeal to FIFA by boosting the profile and ailing ticket sales of the inaugural 32-team tournament that will next be played in 2029.

A transfer for Ronaldo also would reunite him and Lionel Messi in the same competition for the first time since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Last October, FIFA invited Messi’s Inter Miami to enter the tournament in the slot that was expected to be reserved for the host nation’s champion. Inter Miami was eliminated in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Speculative reports have linked Ronaldo to the one Saudi club that qualified, Al Hilal, the Brazilian club Palmeiras and Wydad of Morocco, even though that club is banned by FIFA from registering new signings.

Transfers can be made in early June and again from June 27-July 3 according to the interim rules FIFA approved in October.

“The objective is to encourage clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation,” FIFA said in Wednesday’s statement.

One of the 32 Club World Cup teams also is Saudi Arabian and owned by the PIF, Al Hilal, the 2021 Asian Champions League winner.

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