Cristiano Ronaldo won't go to Club World Cup despite interest from several teams: 'You can't catch every ball'

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he will not play in the Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States, kicking off on June 14, depsite interest from a number of different teams. The Al-Nassr man is out of contract, which could lead to a move from the team, and the uncertainty about his future has led to speculation that Ronaldo could sign a short-term agreement with another club for the tournament before deciding on his longer term plans. But, ahead of Portugal playing in the UEFA Nations League final against Spain on Sunday, Ronaldo addressed those rumors.

"I will not be at the Club World Cup," Ronaldo said. "Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball."

Al-Hilal, also of the Saudi Pro League, is one of the teams that was reportedly interested in his services, but that interest also made waves in Saudi Arabia. Both Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are clubs owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, but for a player of Ronaldo's stature to move from one to the other could be seen as potentially damaging. Brazillian clubs were also linked with the forward alongside Monterrey of Liga MX.

Currently, Ronaldo is in talks with the PIF and senior Saudi officials about his contract status as they would like to keep their star in Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr has offered assurances to improve the team so that they can compete for the league title, with targets such as Luiz Diaz and David Hanko among the names that could be lured to the club. That could be enough to keep him at the club, but at least at this stage, they know that he won't be playing in the Club World Cup elsewhere.