sportbible homepage
sportbible homepage
  • Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • World Cup
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Manchester United
    • Liverpool
    • Arsenal
    • Real Madrid
    • Barcelona
  • Formula 1
    • Red Bull
    • Ferrari
    • McLaren
    • Mercedes
    • Max Verstappen
    • Lewis Hamilton
    • Lando Norris
    • George Russell
    • Charles Leclerc
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • More Sport
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • Darts
    • Athletics
    • Rugby
    • Wrestling
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Snapchat
TikTok
Threads
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • LADbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Ballon d'Or winner got offered £200,000 to play for Al Nassr before Cristiano Ronaldo transfer

Home> Football> Saudi Pro League

Updated 16:45 2 Nov 2023 GMTPublished 16:43 2 Nov 2023 GMT

Ballon d'Or winner got offered £200,000 to play for Al Nassr before Cristiano Ronaldo transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the first Ballon d'Or winner to play for Al Nassr but a previous signing had a bizarre spell.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Cristiano Ronaldo is easily the biggest star to ever play for Al Nassr but he isn't the first Ballon d'Or winner to represent the club.

Ronaldo was the catalyst for a wave of elite players moving to the Saudi Pro League when he signed a whopping £175 million-a-year contract with Al Nassr back in December.

The league, particularly clubs backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, splashed on a wealth of talent - with some of the high-profile signings including Karim Benzema, Neymar, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Marcelo Brozovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Jordan Henderson and Riyad Mahrez.

Advert

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

But Al Nassr had one of the world's best players in their ranks 25 years ago.

Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or back in 1994 while playing under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, where he won four La Liga titles and one European Cup.

Nicknamed 'El Pistolero', Stoichkov had a second spell with Barca between 1996 and 1998.

There a short stint back at his beloved CSKA Sofia but he had an even briefer spell in Saudi.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

He joined Al Nassr in 1998 but the contract was anything but long-term. Incredibly, it was just a two-match deal for the five-time Bulgarian Player of the Year.

The Saudi side brought him solely to win the Asian Cup Winners' Cup for the first time.

Al Nassr got byes in the first two rounds before beating Al Ittihad 3-2 in an all-Saudi clash in the quarter-finals.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Stoichkov was then drafted in for the semi-final and finals, which Al Nassr went on to win.

As per The Sun, it's claimed he was paid £165,000 for two games but it was worth it for Al Nassr as Stoichkov scored the winner against Korean side Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.

He went on to play in Japan with Kashiwa Reysol and the MLS with both Chicago Fire and D.C United before he retired in 2003.

Featured Image Credit: Getty & Al Nassr

Topics: Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

X

@joshlawless_

Recommended reads

Man Utd's 15 transfer targets to fill four key positions as at least six prepare to leaveGetty ImagesDennis Taylor interview: Why snooker legend is playing in brand-new event... and how he saved someone's lifeGettyRanking the top 10 best golfers of all time as Nicklaus v Woods GOAT debate settledGetty ImagesDavid Munyua and Peter Wachiuri interview: 'We wish for major PDC players to come and visit Kenya'Getty / Instagram/@wachiuridarts

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  •  Kristian Skeie - UEFA/ Getty
    an hour ago

    How 50% of the Premier League can qualify for Europe as never-before-seen scenario emerges

    An incredible scenario could see 10 Premier League teams playing in Europe.

    Football
  • Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Chelsea release statement after Jesse Derry knocked unconscious on Premier League debut following sickening collision

    Chelsea's clash against Nottingham Forest was stopped for nine minutes as Derry received treatment.

    Football
  • Getty
    2 hours ago

    Future of football predictions from 1994 emerge and they're scarily accurate

    The predictions for the future of football have re-emerged 32 years later - and many are spot on.

    Football
  •  Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Cesc Fabregas breaks silence on replacing Liam Rosenior as Chelsea manager

    The Chelsea legend has responded to the rumours.

    Football
  • Cristiano Ronaldo fan claims to have 'evidence' the Ballon d'Or is biased against Al Nassr star
  • Only one of the 92 league clubs in England has a lower average attendance than Saudi Pro League
  • Scottish singer has 2007 song bizarrely top of the charts in Saudi Arabia thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Gabri Veiga 'hits back at Toni Kroos' after Real Madrid star brands transfer to Saudi Arabia as 'embarrassing'