Al Nassr coach makes Lionel Messi joke after Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia

Football fans have been buzzing all around the world as Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to be unveiled by Al Nassr on January 3. The excitement among fans is high as this is the first time that the 37-year-old would be seen competing in a domestic league outside Europe. Ahead of Ronaldo's much-awaited unveiling, Al Nassr's coach Rudi Garcia had a hilarious exchange with the media, where he said that he was keen on bringing Lionel Messi first instead of the Portuguese international.

'I tried to bring Messi directly from Doha': Garcia

While speaking at his press conference after confirming that the blockbuster transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo had been completed, Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said, "First I wanted to bring Messi. I tried to bring Messi directly from Doha." Lionel Messi has been the talk of the town ever since he led the Argentinian football team to their first FIFA World Cup title in 36 years and third overall (1978, 1986, 2022).

While Messi is all set to return to PSG training on January 3, Ronaldo is all set to step foot in Mrsool Park in front of thousands of fans on the same day for his unveiling. As per the details put out by Al Nassr, the 37-year-old would be officially unveiled by the club at 9:30 PM IST (4:00 PM GMT) on Tuesday.

After successfully making his big-money transfer to Al Nassr this past Friday, Ronaldo explained his reason to join the Saudi Arabian outfit over a European club. He said in a statement that he felt the time was right to move to another continent, having won everything in Europe. "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," explained the 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, the club called the transfer of Ronaldo '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," Al-Nassr wrote in a statement.