A Brazilian club has revealed that Al Nassr made an offer "20 times higher" than theirs for Cristiano Ronaldo, who chose the move to the Middle East despite the South American team offering him the same wages he was getting at Manchester United.
Ronaldo was announced as a new Al Nassr player on 31 December 2022, little more a month following his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford, when his contract was mutually terminated.
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The Saudi club tied the 37-year-old to a lucrative two-and-a-half-year contract worth $75 million (R1.2 billion) per year, while he could also move into an ambassador role for Saudi Arabia's 2030 FIFA World Cup bid after his deal ends in 2025, according to Goal.
While the Riyadh-based team were the favourites to land the player in the last few weeks of 2022, Ronaldo has since revealed that he had offers from other clubs across the globe, including in Brazil and Europe.
Corinthians sporting director Duilio Monteiro Alves has now confirmed that they made a concerted effort to bring the former Real Madrid marksman to the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, but were beaten by a bid way above their means.
"We made an offer to Cristiano Ronaldo," Alves said, according to Spanish news outlet Marca.
"A salary equal to what he earned at United, [a] two-year deal with the help of sponsors
"I know he also had proposals from Europe. But the proposal from Saudi Arabia was 20 times higher.
"I spoke six, seven times with [agent] Jorge Mendes and, in the end, we sent a proposal through another person.
"I made the proposal and even hoped not to accept it [laughs].
"Just kidding, we had many partners already warned. I think we have to try."
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It has been claimed that the striker has parted ways with his agent Jorge Mendes due to reported disagreements over his behaviour and explosive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, with the super-agent believed to have been replaced by Ronaldo's personal manager Ricardo Regufe, who is understood to have spearheaded talks with Al Nassr, per the Daily Mirror.
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