Former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, has stirred controversy by suggesting that top footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo have moved to Saudi Arabia primarily for financial gain rather than passion for the game.
Ighalo himself transitioned from mainstream European football to Chang Chung Yatai in 2017 after stints with Lyn, Udinese, Granada, Cesena, and Watford. At Yatai, he commanded a reported weekly salary of €200,000 before moving to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, where he continued to earn a similar wage.
His career trajectory saw him spend one year in Shanghai before embarking on a six-month loan deal with Manchester United. Subsequently, the 34-year-old joined Al Shabbab, where he reportedly began earning €170,000 weekly.
Ighalo’s comments come in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in a lucrative three-year deal, which would reportedly see him earn a staggering €210.704 million in total.
Speaking to Oma TV, Ighalo remarked, “See people that are going to Saudi Arabia, big players. Is Ronaldo still playing for passion? He has made more than 100 times what I have in my life, but he still went to Saudi. You want to tell me that is passion? No, it’s for money.”
