Saudi Arabia’s sports minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, admitted on Friday that he would like to see Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo play in the Saudi league and that “anything is possible.”
“It would benefit the league, the sports ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and inspire the youth for the future. [Cristiano Ronaldo] He is a role model for many children and has a huge fan base in Saudi Arabia,” Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal told the BBC.
The former car driver and member of the royal family’s wish comes after Ronaldo, who left Manchester United, said in an interview with British television that he had turned down an offer of 350 million euros to sign for a Saudi club.
The minister also said that Saudi Arabia would “undoubtedly” support offers from its private sector to buy English clubs, such as the historic Manchester United or Liverpool, since “there is an enormous passion for football in Saudi Arabia.”
“We will certainly support the arrival of a private investor as we know it will have a positive impact on sport in the kingdom,” added Prince Abdulaziz, acknowledging that this would increase the chances of hosting a World Cup in the future.
Saudi Arabia, highly criticized by human rights organizations, bought the English club Newcastle United last year, thanks to a consortium formed by the Saudi investment fund PCP Capital Partners and the brothers David and Simão Rubens.
The American owners of Manchester United caused a stir this week by revealing, just hours after the announcement of the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, that they are considering selling the club.
Liverpool’s American owners recently said they were open to new shareholders, but did not confirm reports that the English club was up for sale.
Source: TSF
