Hicham Ait Menna, president of Wydad, revealed that his club tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for the 2025 Club World Cup, but the Portuguese refused.
Ronaldo had previously announced that he would not participate in the World Cup, and then announced that he was renewing his contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr for another two years.
A while earlier, AS newspaper confirmed Wydad’s negotiations with Ronaldo, and now Menna confirms this and reveals the Portuguese legend’s rejection of the idea.
The Wydad president said in press statements, “Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t have come for the money; he doesn’t need it.”
He added, “I don’t know how the rumor spread that we were considering signing him, but yes, we tried to sign him.”
He concluded, “I contacted one of my agents, a friend of mine, about four months ago and asked him about Ronaldo’s interest in playing in the Club World Cup, and he refused.”
Wydad wasn’t the only club interested in Ronaldo. It was also reported that Egypt’s Al Ahly tried and received the same response, with various Brazilian and even European offers.
Ronaldo justified his decision to decline the World Cup by saying he had to think about the long term, not just the short term, meaning he wanted to play for a team for the long term, not just for a month.
