
<p>Many superstars have left for Saudi Arabian teams this summer to take advantage of the country’s rich salary caps and television deals.</p>



<p>After Manchester United terminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract, he departed Europe for the Middle East. There, he signed a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-joins-al-nassr-in-211-million-per-year-deal-20221231-WST-413970.html">massive contract with Al-Nassr</a>. In 19 games, the Portuguese scored 14 times but still couldn’t lead his team to the Saudi championship.</p>



<p>His arrival paved the way for several more A-list athletes to join the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/saudi-arabia-soccer-revolution-20230716-WST-443009.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saudi Pro League</a> for the next season. For example, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/karim-benzema-bids-farewell-to-real-madrid-after-14-years-20230604-WST-436009.html">Karim Benzema</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/saudi-arabia-poaches-roberto-firmino-as-latest-epl-star-20230705-WST-441247.html">Roberto Firmino</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/ngolo-kante-joins-al-ittihad-in-deal-worth-over-100-million-20230621-WST-438816.html">N’Golo Kante</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/another-treble-winner-leaves-city-his-successor-lies-at-barcelona-20230720-WST-444363.html">Riyad Mahrez</a> and many more are joining the league. </p>



<p>The man who started it all has even predicted current trends to continue. In Ronaldo’s eyes, the Saudi Pro League will be <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/ronaldo-claims-saudi-league-better-than-mls-right-now-20230718-WST-443890.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">among the top five in the globe</a> over the next few years.</p>



<h2>Ighalo admits Ronaldo and other stars seek Saudi move for money</h2>



<p>Ronaldo has said in many interviews that he wants to see the Saudi league become as prestigious as the top leagues in Europe. But now a former prominent player in the Saudi league has voiced another perspective.</p>



<p>Odion Ighalo, who spent two fruitful years with Al Shabab and Al-Hilal, has said that money was a major factor in his decision to play in the Middle East.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Odion Ighalo&apos;s take on players joining the Saudi League… <a href="https://t.co/D9Zw1WhlKy">pic.twitter.com/D9Zw1WhlKy</a></p>— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1684912766589571072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>“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 or two years or when God will tell it to stop,” he told OmaSportsTV.</p>



<h5>Ighalo lashes out at ‘hypocritical’ Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi league</h5>



<p>The veteran striker went on to say that Ronaldo and the other big players who have tried out the Saudi league are just interested in the money.</p>



<p>“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.</p>



<p>“Is Ronaldo still playing out of passion? Ronaldo has earned 100 times more than I have in my entire life, yet he went to Saudi Arabia. Did he do that out of passion? It’s for money, bro.”</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / NurPhoto</em></p>


Odion Ighalo, a former Saudi league striker, claims that Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr for financial reasons rather than a genuine passion.

Former Saudi Pro League star Ighalo: Ronaldo plays for money

Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Saudi Pro League star Ighalo: Ronaldo plays for money