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Corinthians boss reveals the Brazilian club DID make Cristiano Ronaldo an offer that would have seen him earn the same salary he had at Man United… but the Portuguese star opted to join Al-Nassr because his proposal was ’20 TIMES HIGHER’
- Cristiano Ronaldo has stated that he received many offers from all over the world.
- Corinthians boss Duilio Monteiro Alves revealed his club tried to sign Ronaldo
- He claimed that Corinthians were prepared to pay Ronaldo his Manchester United salary.
- However, Al-Nassr offered Ronaldo 20 times more money in his proposal.
- Ronaldo agreed to join Al-Nassr and is now set to earn £175m a year
Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves has confirmed that the Brazilian club tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo before he joined Al-Nassr, before the Saudi club stunned them, willing to pay him 20 times his offer.
Ronaldo became a free agent at the end of November after his contract with Manchester United was terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
After weeks of speculation about his future, the Portuguese star has finally signed for Saudi club Al-Nassr in a deal that will see him earn £175m a year.
The president of Corinthians, Duilio Monteiro Alves, revealed that they tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo chose to join Saudi club Al-Nassr and is set to earn £175m a year after the club offered him 20 times what Corinthians could afford.
However, that was not the only offer on the table, as Alves revealed that Corinthians made an offer for Ronaldo, but claimed that Al-Nassr ultimately outbid these offers thanks to his purchasing power.
“We made an offer to Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. “A salary equal to what he earned at United, a two-year contract with the help of sponsors,” Alves told Bandeirantes’ Donos da Bola.
I know that he also had proposals from Europe. But Saudi Arabia’s proposal was 20 times larger.
Ronaldo was introduced as an Al-Nassr player on Tuesday, but has yet to make his debut for the club.
“I spoke six, seven times with Jorge Mendes and, in the end, we sent a proposal through another person.”
Ronaldo has reportedly parted ways with his agent Mendes after a disagreement over his interview with Morgan, which could give another indication why Corinthians did not enjoy luring the striker to Brazil.
Alves joked that he was glad Ronaldo did not accept due to the financial pressure it would have put on his club, but feels he had to try to sign the global superstar.
‘I made the proposal and even expected not to accept it (laughs). Just kidding, we had many partners already warned. I think we have to try,” Alves said.
Ronaldo watched his new team’s 2-0 victory over Al-Ta’ee with his personal manager Ricardo Regufe, who brokered the deal that brought the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to Al-Nassr.
‘Renato Augusto, Willian thought it was funny and, well, in the end it worked. Presiding over the Corinthians, we have to look for the best in the world.’
Ronaldo, who has already been seen training with his new team, insisted in his Al-Nassr press conference ahead of his official presentation on Tuesday that he had received offers from around the world before choosing to move to Saudi Arabia, and the Alves’ comments suggest that he was telling the truth.
Ronaldo said: ‘Nobody knows this, but I had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, Australia, the United States and even Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. I gave my word to this club. I want to give a different vision of this country and football. That is why I took advantage of this opportunity.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had hoped to make his Al-Nassr debut on Friday but was forced to watch his new teammates beat Al-Ta’ee 2-0 from the stands while scoring a double. -Gambling ban after smashing a fan’s phone after United’s loss at Everton in April.