Nigeria international Odion Ighalo has outlined the reasons why players including Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabia.
Last January, Cristiano Ronaldo paved the way for a new Eldorado by committing to the Saudi club Al-Nassr for two and a half years, with the key, a record contract of 400 million euros. With the prospect of becoming a world player in football, the Gulf country has continued to display its ambitions, operating a real raid within the championships of the Old Continent since the start of the summer transfer window 2023.
Today, the Saudi Pro League can boast of having seduced many players in the twilight of their careers like Karim Benzema or N’Golo Kanté. In particular, thanks to solid financial arguments, one of the main common denominators of the career choices of many footballers has passed a certain milestone. A reality on which Odion Ighalo, the Nigerian striker of Al-Hilal, spoke frankly in an interview with OmaSportsTV.
“When you are young, yes, you play out of passion. Back then, you don’t care about money, first dropped the former Watford. But at my age, I’m in the home stretch of my career, I don’t know if it will be in one, two years or when God says it stops. I know it won’t be more than three years. I played for passion all my life, now it’s for the money. »
Ronaldo is driven by greed
Then asked about the motivations of the fivefold Ballon d’Or, the 34-year-old center forward was categorical. “Does Ronaldo still play for passion? Ronaldo has won 100 times more than me in my whole life and yet he went to Saudi Arabia. Did he do it out of passion? It’s for the money, mate. For money. I am not one of those players who come to say: ‘I play out of passion’. My brother, it’s money. In the end, it’s money. »
