A former Manchester United striker has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of making the move to Saudi Arabia solely for financial reasons.
After leaving Old Trafford, Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December. His contract with the Saudi club is reportedly worth a staggering £175 million per year.
Since the Portuguese legend’s move, other high-profile players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, and Jordan Henderson have also headed to Saudi Arabia for lucrative deals.
Former United striker, Odion Ighalo, has now talked about Ronaldo’s motive for joining the Middle Eastern League. Ighalo had a loan spell at Old Trafford from 2020-21, during which he scored five goals in 23 games.
After his time at United, he went on to play for Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal. He also won the league title with Al-Hilal.
Must Read: Man United starlet Alvaro Fernandez reveals his plans for the upcoming season
Ighalo, who is currently a free agent, has made a statement suggesting that Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr was primarily driven by financial motives rather than a passion for the game.
While talking to OmaSportsTV, as stated by the Sun, he said:
“When you are young, yes, you play for passion. Back then, you don’t care about money. But at my age, I am in the final stretch of my career, I don’t know if it will be one, two years or when God will tell it to stop.”
“I know it won’t be more than three years. I’ve played for passion all my life, now it’s for money. I’m not one of those players who come and say: ‘I play for passion’. Brother, it’s money. At the end of the day, it’s money.”
“Is Ronaldo still playing out of passion? Ronaldo has earned 100 times more than I have in my entire life and yet he went to Saudi Arabia. Did he do that out of passion? It’s for money, bro.”
It’s worth noting that Ighalo and Ronaldo did not play together at United, as Ronaldo made his return to Old Trafford in August 2021, long after Ighalo’s loan spell had concluded.
Since joining Al-Nassr, the former Real Madrid star has been in impressive form, scoring 14 goals in 19 games. He is determined to help his team secure the league title this season after finishing second to Al-Ittihad in the previous campaign.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal made a significant attempt to bring Kylian Mbappe to Saudi Arabia and managed to have their record-breaking bid of £259 million accepted by Paris Saint-Germain.
Also Read: Erik ten Hag speaks on Anthony Martial’s future at Old Trafford
However, it’s unclear if Mbappe will ultimately make the move to the Saudi club.
Despite an enticing salary package of £600 million offered, the French star declined to engage in discussions with Al-Hilal’s delegation, indicating his lack of interest in a move to the Saudi club.
Similarly, Lionel Messi turned down Al-Hilal’s offer and opted to sign with MLS side Inter Miami instead.
On the other hand, Ronaldo praised the Saudi Pro League, considering it to be of higher quality compared to MLS.
