SOCCER
Eintracht Frankfurt: Cristiano Ronaldo was offered to every Champions League club
Cristiano Ronaldo has one formal offer on the table from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, with European clubs seemingly not interested.
How times have changed. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, a free agent after having his deal at Manchester United terminated shortly before the Qatar 2022 World Cup, has received only one formal contract offer. Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr have offered the Portuguese a deal which would see him earn just under €200 million ($212.16 million) per year and the club have even vacated the number 7 shirt in preparation for Ronaldo’s arrival, although both parties have so far denied that the player has agreed to join.
Since Ronaldo’s departure from Old Trafford, the feeling has been that he has been holding out for a deal at a Champions League club, especially given how he handed in a transfer request back in the summer because of his unhappiness at the Red Devils having not qualified for European soccer’s premiere club competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo “was offered to every Champions League club”
Offers haven’t been forthcoming, however, although it seems that it wasn’t for the want of trying, at least from United. Speaking to DAZN, two members of the Eintracht Frankfurt board have spoken of how the English outfit tried to offload Ronaldo to them…and possibly others. Eintracht CEO Axel Hellman told DAZN: “Ronaldo was even offered to us,” with Philip Holzer, chairman of the club’s supervisory board, going one further and claiming, “I have the feeling he was offered to every Champions League club.”
Eintracht qualified for the 2022-23 Champions League by virtue of winning the Europa League last season. A dramatic end to the group stage saw them sneak through to the round of 16, where they have been drawn to play Italian side Napoli. The two legged-tie will take place on 21 February and 15 March, with the first leg to be played in Germany.
How many times has Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League?
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has won the Champions League on five occasions, including four times with Real Madrid between 2014 and 2018. The 37-year-old has not had a great time of things in recent months, however, first being dropped at Manchester United then having his contract ripped up, before being dropped by Portugal and failing in his last attempt to win the World Cup as they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morocco.