The president of Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal has claimed that a summer transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo was thwarted solely by registration problems.
Ronaldo wanted to leave Manchester United this summer after failing to qualify for the Champions League with the Red Devils. Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea were all mentioned as potential destinations, but all three clubs ultimately declined to make the move.
Ronaldo was also interested in Saudi Arabia – they are said to have made him a nine-figure offer for a two-year contract. At the time, however, it was said that CR7 would rather stay in Europe.
Speaking to Thamanya, Al Hilal boss Fahad ben Nafel revealed that the club did indeed negotiate with Ronaldo; the personal conditions of the superstar were not the reason for the failure of the transfer.
“Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem wasn’t the money or the principle – Al-Hilal is capable of bringing in the stars of the world. It was the decision of the Sport Arbitration Board that prevented us from registering the players.” , he said.
“We did not break off negotiations with the players despite the ban decision, but we delayed entering the final stages of negotiations until the ban was lifted.”
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Despite this failed attempt, Ronaldo continues to be pursued by Saudi Arabian clubs.
Saudi Arabia Football Confederation President Yasser Al-Miseha said recently: “We would love to see a player like Cristiano Ronaldo play in the Saudi league. That would bring tremendous positive feedback and would be big news for everyone. I’m sure that everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo’s achievements and records. He is a player who is a great role model.”
“I think, ‘Why not?’ I’m sure it would be a very expensive deal, but we can see that our clubs have achieved higher revenues in recent years,” Al-Miseha said. “We’ve already seen some great players, who used to play in the Premier League, play in the Saudi league. I like Cristiano Ronaldo as a player and I’d love to see him play in Saudi Arabia.”
This article was originally posted on 90min.com as Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia? That’s why the transfer failed really published.
