Cristiano Ronaldo: New Details Emerge on Why Superstar Failed to Secure Move to Saudi Arabia Club

• New details have emerged on why Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal was unable to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer
• Ronaldo was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with reports suggesting a Saudi Arabian club was willing to take up his services
• The 37-year old ended up staying with Manchester United, and will likely see out his contract

Cristiano Ronaldo’s botched mega-money move to a Saudi Arabian club had little to do with the player rejecting the chance to play in Asia.

This is according to the president of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, who has come out with interesting new details on the club’s move for the Portuguese superstar.

As reported by Sports Brief, Ronaldo was heavily linked with a move away from Manchester United, as he preferred to play for a club in the Champions League for the 2022/23 campaign.

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But top European giants including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid all turned down the chance to sign the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for one reason or the other.

Amid uncertainty over his future, the rumour mill revealed in August that an unnamed Saudi Arabian side had made an offer to Ronaldo that not many football stars could have resisted.

The offer would have seen Ronaldo earn a staggering £2 million per week and according to Express Sport, Fahad ben Nafel, President of Al-Hilal, confirmed his club’s interest in the Real Madrid legend.

While speaking on Thamanya YouTube channel, Nafel said talks were heading to advanced stages but were overshadowed by a ban.

“Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem was not in the money or the principle, Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world, but it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Center that prevented us from registering the players.

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“We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted."

The club was handed a ban after a player, Mohamed Kannos decided against leaving the club, only to join rivals Al-Nassr at the last minute.

Portuguese newspaper calls for Ronaldo to be dropped from national team

Meanwhile, Portuguese newspaper A Bola has called for Cristiano Ronaldo to be dropped from Portugal's starting XI.

This was ahead of the clash against Spain on September 27.

The publication questioned Cristiano Ronaldo's status as a guaranteed starter for the Portugal national team.

Ronaldo has played 190 times for his country, leading them to glory in Euro 2016 and the Nations League in 2019.