Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel has revealed that they held talks with Cristiano Ronaldo over a potential move.
Ronaldo had completed a move to Al-Nassr back in January this year on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester United was terminated.
The 38-year-old became an integral part of the Saudi Pro League’s revolution inspiring other stars in world football to make the move to the Middle East.
Nearly a year after joining Al-Nassr, Fahad bin Nafel talked about their attempts to land Ronaldo and believes they were close to getting a deal over the line.
“We had negotiations with Ronaldo way before Al-Nassr,” bin Nafel told reporters. “We always try find the best players who can play for us.
“But we are proud of the group that we have now, and we only want success for all the players and all the rival clubs.
“Our negotiations with Ronaldo were not at the same time as the Al-Nassr’s, but rather before in the summer transfer market in 2022.
“If Saad Al-Laziz [Saudi Pro League CEO] had mentioned that Al-Hilal did not have contact with Cristiano Ronaldo, then this information is inaccurate,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Al-Hilal were facing a transfer window ban over a contract renewal issue for their midfielder Mohamed Kanno back in May of last year.