“You have to be remembered for your talent, not for what you earned” – Ibrahimovic hits out at Saudi transfers after Cristiano Ronaldo revolution
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken a shot at Cristiano Ronaldo for arguably chasing money and moving to Saudi Arabia. He believes that footballers should think about achievements over money in their career.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on his TV show, Ibrahimovic claimed that he had offers from China and Saudi Arabia but chose to reject them. He added that his aim was always to finish on the big stage and not go after money. He said:
"I had an offer also from China. I had an offer also from Saudi, but the situation is, what do you want? What objectives do you have? I said before we started, like certain players need to finish their career on the big stage because that is the high end of your career. You have to be remembered for your talent, not for what you earned. Because if you were remembered in the opposite way, what we are training every day for, what we are being recognised for, is our talent and that's what you want to be remembered for."
The former Barcelona star added:
"So, I think certain players that reach a certain level, they have to stop at a certain stage, and that's the big stage. You cannot go in a lower stage and finish your career in a different way. But some players needed the situations where you can earn a lot of money because they didn't earn enough.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to MLS with LA Galaxy after his stint at Manchester United but returned to AC Milan where he retired at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr after Manchester United contract was terminated
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in December last year after his contract at Manchester United was terminated in November. The forward had done an explosive interview where he attacked Erik ten Hag and the Red Devils just before the FIFA World Cup.
On joining the Saudi Arabian side on a free transfer, Ronaldo said:
"I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country. The vision of what Al Nassr are doing and developing in Saudi Arabia both in terms of men’s and women’s football is very inspiring. We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at the World Cup that this is a country with big football ambitions and a lot of potential."
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 29 matches for Al Nassr since joining last year.