- The 33-year-old moves to the Saudi Al-Nassr
- Will also be teammates with ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane
- Behich currently plays for A-League side Melbourne City
Socceroos defender Aziz Behich will play alongside Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo after agreeing a loan deal to join Al-Nassr until the end of the season.
Behich will make the move at the end of the Asian Cup, with Australia preparing to play South Korea in the quarter-finals after their 2015 final opponents scraped past Saudi Arabia on penalties.
The 33-year-old currently plays for Melbourne City but will move to Saudi Arabia when the Asian Cup comes to an end.
It is a huge step for Behich, who will join both Ronaldo and former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, with Al-Nassr sitting second in the Saudi Pro League, seven points behind Al-Hilal.
Behich has played every minute of the Asian Cup so far and his speed could play a role against a Korean team that will be physically exhausted after a taxing comeback in the round of 16.
The Aussies have only conceded one goal in the tournament so far, but questions remain over their attacking prowess, which has not been as smooth as fans would like.
Behich (pictured playing for Australia in the Asian Cup this week) will now be teammate to one of the biggest stars football has ever produced
Aziz Behich will join Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured) at Saudi side Al-Nassr
The Portuguese ace joined the team in 2022 in a deal that paid him $337 million per year
“There can be a lot of noise from outside about ‘the team should do this or that’, but football is not easy because everyone might say it comes from outside,” Socceroos captain Mat Ryan said after the 4-0 draw. win against Indonesia.
“When you’re here, and you’re a professional football player, and you’re going up against another team that’s clearly trying to do everything they can to win a game, it’s not easy.
‘We have been confronted with challenges tonight, with all due respect to Indonesia of course; they gave it a good crack, and they gave us trouble. But we found a way to get the job done. And that is a skill that exists in itself.
“I feel like we still have a lot of room for improvement, and I think that’s a good sign for the future.”