Saudi club rejects offer
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, photo) has rejected ‘oil money’. Oil Money, which is expanding its presence in the soccer world, offered an ‘invitation’ of 275 million euros (about 363 billion won), but did not win Ronaldo’s heart.
ESPN, a sports media outlet, reported on the morning of the 15th (Korean time) that “Ronaldo received an offer worth 275 million euros from a Saudi Arabian club, but he turned it down.” The club is said to have offered Ronaldo 275 million euros for two seasons, an annual salary of 137.5 million euros (181.5 billion won) and a transfer fee of 30 million euros (39.6 billion won) to Manchester United. This means that Ronaldo has missed the opportunity to receive more than double that of Kylian Mbappe (50 million euros, Paris Saint-Germain), the world’s top-paid player.
Oil money has a reputation in the football world, especially in Europe. Manchester City (England) joined City Football Group in 2008, owned by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Paris Saint-Germain (France) in 2011 Qatar Sports owned by Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar. was acquired by Investments. Manchester City and Paris have grown into European powerhouses with oil money at the fore.
The reason Ronaldo turned down the oil money love call is because he puts his career first. Ronaldo wants to play in the UEFA Champions League. It is because of the Champions League that he hopes to say goodbye to Manchester United’s absence from the pre-season tour. Manchester United finished sixth in the English Premier League (EPL) last season and competed in the UEFA Europa League. Ronaldo is the most goalscorer (140 goals) and the most appearances (183 matches) in the Champions League history.
Reporter Heo Jong-ho [email protected]