How Ronaldo negotiated £173million-a-year Saudi deal without agent Mendes
The Athletic FC Podcast
The Athletic
4.0 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 January 2023
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ian Irving is joined by The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell & Nick Miller to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, where he will earn a reported £173 million a year.
Hear details of how that deal was done without the help of super agent Jorge Mendes and what awaits Ronaldo after a pretty strange six months - walkouts, tears & that interview..
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Athletic. |
| 0:03.7 | So, Cristiano Ronaldo has completed the most moneyed move in football history. |
| 0:08.5 | He's joined Saudi Arabian side Al Nasser, where he'll earn a reported 173 million pounds a year. |
| 0:16.6 | Coming up, we'll discuss how that deal was done, and what awaits Ronaldo after a pretty strange six months of walkouts, tears and that interview. I'm Ian Irving, and this is the Athletic Football Podcast. Late in the night at Old Traffords, the game is not up, the whistle has not gone, but Christiana Ronaldo is no longer in the stadium. Well, he's in the stadium, but he's nowhere near the pitch. |
| 0:38.6 | What's just happened, Clinton? |
| 0:39.4 | He's walked down the tunnel. |
| 0:40.4 | I just saw him. I don't know where he's going, but he has walked down the tunnel. |
| 0:45.7 | Yes, I feel betrayed, and I felt that some people that don't want me here, not only this year, but last year too. |
| 0:54.6 | Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manx United by mutual agreement with immediate effect. |
| 1:04.0 | The Qatar World Cup offers a final chance at glory for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the international stage. |
| 1:12.3 | That's why he was picked. The man chosen in Hen of Ronaldo has blasted Portugal. |
| 1:20.6 | If it was just about money, you'd be in Saudi Arabia by earning this King's ransom. |
| 1:25.4 | But that's not what motivates you. |
| 1:27.9 | You want to keep at the top. |
| 1:29.4 | Exactly, because I thought, I still believe that I can't score many, many goals and help the team. |
| 1:36.3 | Breaking news, Christiana Ronaldo has signed for Saudi side Al Nasser. |
| 1:42.1 | Another round of applause to our great player and star, Cristiano Ronaldo. |
| 1:48.3 | It's not the end of my career to come in South Africa. |
| 1:51.1 | This is why I want to change. |
| 1:52.6 | And to be honest, I'm really don't worry about what the people say. |
| 2:00.6 | Okay, let's get into it then. |
| 2:02.0 | We've got two gentlemen who I've got to know each of a quite well over the last month or so. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Athletic, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Athletic and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

