August 13 – Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior has rejected the chance to leave the club and move to Saudi Arabia on a contract which would have been worth almost €1 billion over five years, according to Spanish reports.
The striker, who has constantly been the butt of racism in Spain, nevertheless turned down the eye-watering offer from Al Ahli, who were seeking to negotiate a deal with Real which would have seen them pay below his €1 billion release clause as a transfer fee, instead paying what would almost certainly have been a world record fee.
The offer also sought to put Vinícius Júnior on a pedestal alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and his former team-mate Karim Benzema in making them the faces of the 2034 World Cup. But he has instead opted to focus on staying with Real.
Vinícius’ current contract runs until the summer of 2027, with an estimated wage of €11 million per season. That pales into insignificance in comparison with the figures on offer should he have moved to Saudi Arabia.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2018 for $49.1 million from Flamengo, Vinícius has notched up 93 goals in 263 appearances, winning three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.
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