Vincent Aboubakar, a Cameroonian striker, has said that Cristiano Ronaldo wanted him to stay at Al-Nassr despite reports that the Portuguese’s presence forced him out of the Saudi Arabia club.
Ronaldo’s contract with Manchester United was mutually terminated in December of last year, and after weeks of speculation, Al-Nassr completed an agreement to sign the forward on a free transfer.
Due to Ronaldo’s presence, Al-Nassr was forced to trade away one of their foreign players.
Aboubakar has now signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Turkish powerhouse Besiktas, but he recently disclosed that he had already made up his mind to quit the Riyadh-based club even before Ronaldo’s arrival.
Aboubakar confirmed to the French television channel Canal+ that: “When Cristiano Ronaldo arrived, there was need for one player to leave. The coach called me and told me you see the situation; one foreign player had to leave between two others and I, and I told the coach ‘honestly, even before you came, I had the intention of leaving already’.”
“I told him i needed to leave. I told him it was best I go. Other clubs presented offers but I opted for Besiktas. Leaving became complicated. The club did not want me to leave. They wanted me to stay and wanted to pay my salary till the end of the season. I said ‘President, honestly, I prefer leaving.”
“Finally it was complicated but they let me go…When Cristiano came, we discussed for a while and he said he wished that I stay but I told him I wanted to leave.”
“He asked me where my family is, and I said my family is in France and I prefer going to Turkey so that when I have time I can go see my kids. He said he understands that if my family is distant it becomes complicated. I was happy. I wanted to, and I had the desire to leave.”
Vincent Aboubakar
Vincent Aboubakar, a professional football player from Cameroon who now plays as a striker for Turkish Süper Lig side Beşiktaş and serves as team captain, was born on January 22, 1992.
Aboubakar started his professional career with Coton Sport before moving to Europe in 2010. He played for Ligue 1 teams Valenciennes and Lorient, making a total of 109 appearances and scoring 26 goals in the top flight of France.
He joined Porto in 2014, where he played 125 games, scored 58 goals, and won the Primeira Liga.
While on loan to Beşiktaş in 2017 and again in 2021, he won the Turkish Super Lig.
Since making his international debut for Cameroon in May 2010, Aboubakar has amassed more than 90 caps.
He was a member of their teams for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2017 and 2021 in addition to the FIFA World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2022.
He was the tournament’s leading scorer in 2021 and scored the game-winning goal in the championship match of the 2017 edition.
Why Did Cristiano Ronaldo Join Al Nassr?
Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed that after joining Al Nassr in January 2023 that he was “very proud.”
Ronaldo reiterated that Al Nassr was just one of his alternatives when his contract with Manchester United was mutually ended in November.
He claimed that the difficulty of growing soccer in Saudi Arabia had played a role in his choice to relocate to Al Nassr.
“I had many opportunities in Europe,” he stated. “Many clubs in Brazil, Australia, in the US and even Portugal.”
“For me this is a good chance with my knowledge and experience to grow very important clubs.”
