Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo has made a bold statement, suggesting that football icon Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia, along with other prominent football stars, was primarily driven by financial motivations rather than a genuine passion for the game.
In recent times, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a notable influx of high-profile football players joining its clubs.
Notable names like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Jordan Henderson, and Roberto Firmino have all made headlines with their transfers to Saudi Arabian clubs during this transfer window.
Speaking candidly about his perspective on the trend, Ighalo highlighted the role of age and the need to secure financial stability in the twilight of his career.
As the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League last season, Ighalo openly admitted that, unlike in his younger days, money now plays a significant factor in his decisions.
"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," Ighalo stated in an interview with OmaSportsTV.
"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."
Ighalo went on to question Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia, given the immense financial success he has achieved throughout his illustrious career.
The Nigerian striker pointed out that Ronaldo has earned a fortune, far more than he ever did in his entire life, and yet still opted to make the move to Saudi Arabia.
"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," Ighalo said assertively.