Cristiano Ronaldo faces a backlash in Portugal if he accepts the extraordinary £173million-a-year offer he has received from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Sportsmail has learned that the three-year deal offered to Ronaldo would commit him to becoming the face of football in Saudi, including fronting the country’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

Portugal are also bidding to host the tournament in a joint endeavour with Spain, which has raised the prospect of Ronaldo seeking to defeat his own country.

To complicate matters further Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi also has a deal to promote Saudi tourism, but that does not involve the World Cup bid, with his native Argentina also launching a joint bid.