Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia for the money and not because he is passionate about football in the Middle East.
The 34-year-old admitted that he used to play for passion when he was younger but now puts money first in his career decisions.
Ighalo used to play for Premier League side Watford but surprisingly moved to Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai in his prime.
He returned to Manchester United for a brief loan spell but returned to Saudi Arabia, where he lined up for Al Shabab and Al-Hilal and was top scorer in the Saudi league last season.
Reacting to the mass transfer of star players to Saudi Arabia in recent times, Ighalo said most of them are moving for the money, including Ronaldo.
“When you are young, yes, you play for passion. Back then, you don’t care about money. But at my age, I am in the final stretch of my career, I don’t know if it will be one, two years or when God will tell it to stop,” the veteran striker told Oma Sports, as quoted by Goal.
“I know it won’t be more than three years. I’ve played for passion all my life, now it’s for money. I’m not one of those players who come and say: ‘I play for passion’. Brother, it’s money. At the end of the day, it’s money.
“Is Ronaldo still playing out of passion? Ronaldo has earned 100 times more than I have in my entire life and yet he went to Saudi Arabia. Did he do that out of passion? It’s for money, bro.”
Saudi Arabia has become an attractive destination for players, most of whom have moved there for staggering wages.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January and has since been followed by current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema to Al-Ittihad.
Also, N’Golo Kante has swapped Chelsea for Al-Ittihad, while Edouard Mendy has also joined Al-Ahli in the Saudi topflight.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson recently joined Al-Ettifaq, reuniting with former Reds teammate Stephen Gerrard, who manages the club.
