‘Two or Three Times’—President Confirms Club World Cup Offer to Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Hicham Ait-Menna, the president of Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca, has confirmed he made an ambitious approach to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for this summer’s Club World Cup.

Ronaldo is in the final few weeks of his contract with Al Nassr and was tipped to join a new team specifically for this summer’s tournament, with moves to Morocco or Brazil regularly suggested before the Nations League winner publicly dismissed such speculation.

Wydad Casablanca were one of the sides tipped to tie Ronaldo down to a short-term contract, and Ait-Menna has admitted trying to strike a deal for the 40-year-old.

“Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t come for the money because he doesn’t need it,” Ait-Menna told After Foot. “I don’t know how the rumour spread, but it’s true that I contacted one of his agent’s friends three-and-a-half or four months ago and said to him: ‘Wouldn’t he like to play in the Club World Cup?’. He said: ‘Well, I don’t think so’.

“There was never a real negotiation for this player. We would have liked to have him, but financially we couldn’t pay the price he’s worth. Unless he had shown interest... I even went back two or three times!”

Ronaldo admitted he had received “many proposals” about a move to take him to the Club World Cup, and there were even suggestions he could join Al Hilal, the Saudi Arabian side in the competition, on a short-term loan.

As for the bigger picture, Ronaldo remains in negotiations with Al Nassr over a contract extension and recently suggested that he will remain with his current employers beyond this season.

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