Corinthians chief reveals he DID try to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Corinthians chief reveals the Brazilian club DID make an offer to Cristiano Ronaldo that would have seen him earn the same salary he was on at Man United… but the Portuguese star opted to join Al-Nassr as their proposal was ’20 TIMES HIGHER’

  • Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed he received many offers from around the world
  • Corinthians chief Duilio Monteiro Alves has said his club tried to sign Ronaldo
  • He’s claimed Corinthians were prepared to pay Ronaldo his Man United salary
  • However, Al-Nassr offered Ronaldo 20 times more money in their proposal
  • Ronaldo agreed to join Al-Nassr, and is now set to earn £175m-a-year 

Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves has confirmed that the Brazilian club did try to sign Cristiano Ronaldo before he joined Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo became a free agent in late November after his Manchester United contract was terminated following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.

After weeks of speculation about his future, the Portuguese star eventually signed for Saudi club Al-Nassr in a deal that will see him earn £175m-a-year. That was not the only offer on the table, though, with Alves revealing that Corinthians made a bid for Ronaldo, while he also claimed that the 37-year-old had proposals from Europe, but Al-Nassr ultimately trumped these offers thanks to their spending power.  

Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves has revealed they tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo chose to join Saudi club Al-Nassr, and is set to earn £175m-a-year

‘We made an offer to Cristiano Ronaldo. A salary equal to what he earned at United, two-year deal with the help of sponsors,’ Alves told Bandeirantes’ Donos da Bola.

‘I know he also had proposals from Europe. But the proposal from Saudi Arabia was 20 times higher.

‘I spoke six, seven times with Jorge Mendes and, in the end, we sent a proposal through another person.’

Ronaldo reportedly split from his long-term agent Mendes after a disagreement over his interview with Morgan, which could give another indication as to why Corinthians had no joy in tempting the forward to Brazil.

Alves has joked that he was glad Ronaldo didn’t accept due to the financial strain it would have put on his club, but feels he had to make an attempt to sign the global superstar.

‘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,’ Alves said.

Ronaldo was unveiled as an Al-Nassr player on Tuesday but is yet to make his debut for the club

‘Renato Augusto, Willian thought it was funny and, well, it worked out in the end. Presiding over Corinthians, we have to look for the best in the world.’

Ronaldo insisted at his Al-Nassr press conference before his official unveiling on Tuesday that he had received offers from across the world before choosing to move to Saudi Arabia, and Alves’ comments suggest that he was telling the truth.

Ronaldo said:  ‘Nobody knows this, but I had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, Australia, the US, and even Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. I gave my word to this club. I want to give a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took this opportunity.’

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been hoping to make his debut for Al-Nassr on Friday, but was forced to watch his new team-mates beat Al-Ta’ee 2-0 from the stands as he serves a two-game ban after smashing a fan’s phone after United’s loss at Everton in April.




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