A surprise move: Cristiano Ronaldo breaks into the world of drama with a new series

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, has begun a new step in his professional career, after deciding to break into the world of drama through a new series.

Ronaldo posted a photo on his official Instagram account alongside the famous British director and producer Matthew Vaughn, commenting: "Great news, production has just begun on my first TV series 'Day 1s', more coming soon".

Deadline, the website specialising in arts and entertainment news, revealed earlier that Ronaldo will produce the series "Day 1s" alongside Matthew Vaughn.

Football stays close to the heart of it. The story follows a British agent named Stanley Dalton, played by Damian Lewis.

Reports suggest Ronaldo himself will appear in the show, alongside France's Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal and Barcelona star. Famous rapper Dave may also feature in the first episode.

Filming kicked off in London over the past few months, though no final release date has been set.

Ronaldo's announcement came only a short while after he quit international football, ending 23 years with Portugal that stretched back to his first cap in 2003.

He bowed out after 234 matches and 146 goals. Three titles followed too, most notably Euro 2016, plus two Nations League crowns.

The exit came after a crisis that gripped sporting circles during the last international break and raised questions about his relationship with coach Jorge Jesus.

Tension took hold of the squad when Ronaldo left the team's camp in Denmark without permission.

He had already served a 30-day suspension and paid a fine of 255 euros for walking out.

Beforehand, the Portuguese star had declared himself ready to accept any punishment for his behaviour, and that is exactly what happened. The crisis ran deeper than discipline, though, as he and Jesus never patched up their dispute.

Ronaldo felt betrayed by the coach's explanatory statements, believing they broke the explicit agreement the pair had struck at a previous meeting. That prompted him to spell out his position in a sharply worded message.

Tension between the two lingered, with doubts over whether Ronaldo would feature in Portugal's next squad as they prepared to face Denmark on 14 November and Wales on the 17th in the final two rounds of the Nations League group stage.

His name sat in the provisional squad for those matches, but retirement ended the speculation for good. The holder of the number 7 shirt will now be absent from the national team for the rest of his career.

Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença tried to intervene and bring Ronaldo back into the fold, but the mediation failed to restore order.