There probably aren’t many people on the planet who would turn down a salary of more than $2 million per week, but that’s exactly what soccer Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo did this week.
According to ESPN’s Adriana Garcia, a Saudi Arabian club made an offer of about $30 million to sign the soccer megastar from Manchester United, while offering Ronaldo about $275 million in wages over the next two seasons. The deal would have made him the highest-paid player in the world, giving him about $2.6 million U.S. per week. But ESPN reports that Ronaldo is turning the offer down.
Ronaldo remains under contract with Manchester United until June of 2023, but he is seeking a transfer from the team. Ronaldo submitted his transfer request to the club earlier this month with hopes of joining a team to play in the Champions League next season after Manchester United failed to qualify.
Despite Ronaldo’s wishes, Manchester United has maintained that Ronaldo is not available for transfer this summer. Ronaldo had been linked with moves to major European clubs Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. But after United’s reluctance to part with Ronaldo, all four of the clubs have since moved on and are no longer interested in Ronaldo, according to ESPN.
With Manchester United keeping Ronaldo from joining another major European club and Ronaldo rejecting the latest massive offer from a Saudi Arabian club, it seems more and more likely that the 37-year-old will be spending at least one more season with United.
[ESPN]