According to former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo, Cristiano Ronaldo and other top footballers opted for Saudi Arabia primarily for financial reasons.
Ighalo made the shift away from mainstream European football in 2017, transitioning to Chang Chung Yatai after stints with Lyn, Udinese, Granada, Cesena, and Watford.
During his time at Yatai, reports suggest he pocketed a weekly salary of €200,000, later moving to Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua with a similar earning trajectory.
After a year in Shanghai, Ighalo secured a six-month loan deal with Manchester United before eventually joining Al Shabbab, where he started earning €170,000 weekly.
Fast forward to the present when Ronaldo made waves with a groundbreaking move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr under a lucrative three-year contract, valued at €210.704 million in total.
In his commentary, Ighalo questioned the motivations behind such moves, particularly focusing on Ronaldo: “Look at the big players moving to Saudi Arabia. Is Ronaldo still driven by passion? Despite earning exponentially more than I have in my entire career, he still made the move to Saudi. Is that purely passion? No, it’s for financial incentives.”
He further emphasized the double standards in how such decisions are perceived, noting the common perception of Africans being motivated by money, while top players from other regions pursue opportunities for higher pay without facing similar criticism.