Vincent Aboubakar has revealed that ex-Man Utd striker Cristiano Ronaldo tried to persuade him to stay at Al Nassr but he “told him no”.
Ronaldo departed Man Utd at the end of last year as his contract was terminated by mutual consent.
This followed the forward’s controversial interview with Piers Morgan. During this, he hit out at Erik ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick and the Glazer family.
The 38-year-old was linked with Bayern Munich and Chelsea during his second spell at Man Utd but neither club attempted to sign him after he was let go by the Red Devils.
Instead, he moved to Saudi Arabia to join Al Nassr. He is reportedly earning around £177m a year at the Middle East club.
Ronaldo’s arrival meant that Al Nassr needed to sacrifice one international player and Aboubakar was the player let go so the ex-Man Utd player could be registered.
Heading into the January transfer window, Aboubakar only had six months remaining on his contract and he was linked with Man Utd before they brought in Wout Weghorst as a short-term replacement for Ronaldo.
It was even reported that a deal was ‘agreed’ for Aboubakar to join the Premier League club on loan until the summer.
The Cameroon captain impressed at the World Cup and he instead opted to return to Turkish side Besiktas. He has now revealed that Ronaldo “wanted him to stay” at Al Nassr.
“We talked a bit and his [Ronaldo’s] opinion was that he wanted me to stay. I told him no, that I will leave for family reasons,” Aboubakar told Canal+ (via The Daily Mail).
“He asked me where my family was, I told him they are in France and so I prefer to go to Turkey, it’s closer. And he told me it’s better, if your family is really far away, it’s more complicated. I was firm, I wanted to leave.”
Aboubakar later explained that he left the club “angry” as the way that he departed “was not easy”.
“I left a little angry because it was not easy. When Cristiano arrived, [Al Nassr] coach Rudi Garcia called me into his office,” Aboubakar added.
“He told me that normally an international player has to leave, it’s either me or Jaloliddin Masharipov [from Uzbekistan], either me or Pity.
“I told him that I already wanted to leave before and, honestly, as Cristiano was coming, my playing time would be reduced and it was better for me to leave.
“I had offers, including one from Besiktas. They wanted me to stay until the end of the season. I said ‘no honestly president I prefer to leave’.
“It was a bit complicated but finally they let me go.”
What is the record for most Champions League goals in a single season?
It is commonly regarded that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are Champions League kings – but who has scored the highest number of strikes?
Winning the Champions League trophy the biggest honour in European club football.
Earning the coveted title of continental European champion is one thing, but managing to score the most goals in a single Champions League season is a feat on its own.
So which player has scored the most Champions League goals? Goal takes a look.
What is the record for most Champions League goals scored in a season?
Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the record for scoring the most Champions League goals in a single campaign, netting 17 times playing for Real Madrid during the 2013-14 season.
Real Madrid were eventually crowned champions that campaign, beating local rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the final in Lisbon with the Portugal star converting a penalty deep into extra-time.
The victory was the year of La Decima for the Spanish giants, winning a record 10th European cup trophy.
In fact, the now-Al-Nassr striker currently occupies the top three spots of the Champions League season scoring charts. He netted 16 times in the 2015-16 campaign, and 15 in 2017-18 – both for Real.
His former rival at Barcelona, Lionel Messi, occupies the fourth spot with 14 goals. The Argentina international shares a tally of 12 strikes with Ronaldo once again as well as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robert Lewandowski.
Source: football365.com; goal.com
