One social media post has sent the footballing world into a frenzy of gossip, with talk centring around Cristiano Ronaldo and his potential transfer to a North African club to play at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Gossip went into overdrive when a mysterious video with the Portuguese flag was posted on Morocco-based Wydad Athletic Club’s official account, sending fantasies and questions about Ronaldo’s next major switch into overdrive. Is there truth to the rumor, or is this merely another football gossip nightmare?
The flag that sparked it: How social media posting stoked Ronaldo transfer speculation
The rumors began to fly when a cryptic video of Wydad Athletic Club was shared on X (formerly Twitter) that featured the Portuguese flag, handshake emoji, and a clock. MSN reported that the “enigmatic video with Portuguese hues appeared on the social networking site of a Moroccan club and left fan groups speculating.” Fans were not slow to capitalize on what was available to them; the club might be hinting at a blockbuster signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for next year’s Club World Cup.
With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup featuring the world’s best clubs, and with the North African clubs eager to burst into the limelight, the rumors of Ronaldo joining one of the Moroccan clubs—even on a temporary basis—completely took everyone’s imagination across the globe. As the Tucson report indicates, “rumors circulated regarding a move to Al Hilal — the country’s most prolific and only representative club to participate in the Club World Cup.”
That is how it started and why fans thought it was true
The fact that Ronaldo’s contract at Al-Nassr was about to run out and FIFA had introduced a special transfer window for the Club World Cup provided legitimacy to the story. Social media fuelled the rumor mill, as thousands of people shared the video and talked about a show-stopper exchange. The MSN article points out, “the question stirring soccer circles after a cryptic video featuring the Portuguese flag appeared on a Moroccan team’s social media account.”
The reality check: What’s actually going down with Ronaldo and the Club World Cup
Though there is excitement, there is no official statement that Ronaldo is going to play for a North African club. In fact, as the Tucson article shows, “not even Saudi Arabia or Gianni Infantino could engineer a way to get Cristiano Ronaldo to the Club World Cup.” FIFA president Gianni Infantino had made a public teasing promise, but practical and contractual hurdles are still strong.
Al Hilal, Ronaldo’s Saudi team of choice, is a cross-town rival of Al-Nassr.
As Al Hilal boss Esteve Calzada explained to the BBC, “it’s certainly totally counter-intuitive you bring the biggest player of your biggest rival to play with you, even more so when it’s just for three to four weeks.”
This is the way the new Club World Cup format is generating transfer speculation
The expanded Club World Cup and its associated transfer window have brought unprecedented short-term benefits. Players and clubs are testing new ways of getting involved, and even the mere fact that there has been talk of a Ronaldo transfer indicates that interest in the tournament throughout the globe is increasing.
As MSN states, “that the short-term club switch possibility was even on the rumour books, says something about the limits [Saudi Arabia] has been able to push by going full-out to become a force in world sport.”
Before it can be signed, Cristiano Ronaldo and North African Club World Cup swap news is just one example of how fast football rumour gets around. Whether or not it takes place, the world will be hearing every rumour, tweet, and quote as the tournament looms closer.
