Cristiano Ronaldo Was Open To Join Saudi Arabian Side Al-Hilal This Summer
It was all Christiano Ronaldo in the last summer transfer window. However, despite trying hard to move away from Manchester United, CR7 couldn’t find an exit. A startling revelation has come from the president of Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo’s Desperate Attempts To Join Al-Hilal
As per the Saudi boss, there were serious talks between the Saudi club and Christiano Ronaldo’s camp. Interestingly, Ronaldo was entertaining the possibility of a move to Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo is still at the English club; however, that was not the case last summer. Trying to gain entry into any club that will allow him a chance to play in the Champions League. Jorge Mendes, therefore, knocked on every door where he sensed an opportunity – Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Atlético de Madrid, and so on.
However, each time the talks fell through and CR7 found himself stuck at Manchester United. That will have amounted to a whopping 240 million euros for the total duration. Although the club president stated that Cristiano Ronaldo was entertaining the possibility, reports revealed that CR7 rejected the offer.
Unexpected Proposal From Saudi Club
After repeated failure to leave the English club, Ronaldo resolved to stay. However, he received an unexpected proposal – an opportunity to join the Saudi Club with a super hefty paycheck. The Saudi club Al-Hilal offered a lucrative opportunity to fivefold Ballon d’Or – two years contract and around two million dollars weekly salary.
While accepting that Al-Hilal was actually into bringing the legendary CR7 to its camp, Fahad Ben Nafel also revealed why the deal was thwarted in the first place. Speaking on a YouTube channel, Thamanya, he explained what happened in operation CR7.
“Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem was not in the money or the principle. Al-Hilal could bring the stars from all over the world, but the decision of the Sports Arbitration Center prevented us from registering the players. We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the ban decision, but we were delaying entering the final stage of negotiations until the ban was lifted.”
According to Ben Nafel, if the deal didn’t go through, and you don’t see CR7 in the Gulf, it’s because of the bad timing, which the parties involved have no control over. However, there’s no word regarding the big revelation from Ronaldo’s side; therefore, we have to go by Ben Nafel’s statement as of now.
Yasser Al-Miseha Is Hopeful About Ronaldo
The recent attempts might have failed, but Ronaldo is still a sought-after player for those in charge of the football game in Saudi. The president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al-Miseha, recently said: “We would love to see a player like Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the Saudi league.
“It would bring a positive response and be great news for everyone. I’m sure everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo’s achievements and records, but also, as a player, he is a great role model.”
“I think, ‘Why not?’ Of course, I’m sure it would be a very expensive deal, but we can see our clubs getting higher revenues in the last two years. We have already seen some great players who used to play in the Premier League come to Saudi Arabia. league. I like Cristiano Ronaldo as a player and want to see him play in Saudi Arabia.”
The Saudis Might Return With a New Offer
An outstanding player and five times Ballon d’Or winner, he can’t leave Manchester United for the time being. But, his time at the English club is full of difficulties. He has been mostly warming the bench at Manchester United the whole season.
Besides, he desperately wanted to play in the Champions League, while his club failed to make a place in the championship. That’s why he began looking for another base, attracting potential offers, including a whopping one from the Saudis.
However, in all possibilities, the upcoming FIFA world might have deterred CR7 from making a move away from England. But a recent statement from Yasser Al-Miseha reveals that the Saudis are not discouraged by the stalled deal. And the possibility exists that they might return with a new offer after the Worldcup, most probably during the January 2023 transfer window.
