Aboubakar reveals what Ronaldo told him before Al Nassr exit

The reigning AFCON Golden Boot winner revealed what really went down between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Vincent Aboubakar has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo wanted him to stay at Al Nassr.

Ronaldo’s winter arrival at Al Nassr meant one foreigner had to leave, as the Saudi Arabian club had exceeded the number of foreign players it was allowed to have in its squad.

Aboubakar, captain of the Cameroon national team, was the one who made way. The 31-year-old rejoined Turkish side Besiktas for free, signing a deal until June 2025. However, he insists it was his decision to leave, not Al Nassr’s.

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“We talked a bit. His [Cristiano’s] opinion was that he wanted me to stay – I told him no, that I will leave for family reasons,” Aboubakar told Talents d’Afrique on Canal+ as per BBC.

“He asked me where my family was, I told him they are in France and so I prefer to go to Turkey, it’s closer. And he told me: ‘It’s better if your family is really far away, it’s more complicated’. I was firm, I wanted to leave.”

‘I left a little angry’

Aboubakar played for Al Nassr between July 2021 and January 2023, managing 13 goals and six assists in 39 games.

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“I left a little angry because it was not easy,” the former Valenciennes striker added.

“When Cristiano arrived, [Al Nassr] coach Rudi Garcia called me into his office and told me that normally an international player has to leave, it’s either me or Jaloliddin Masharipov [from Uzbekistan], either me or Pity.

“I told him I already wanted to leave before and, honestly, as Cristiano was coming, my playing time would be reduced and it was better for me to leave.

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“I had offers, including one from Besiktas. They wanted me to stay until the end of the season. I said: ‘no honestly, president, I prefer to leave’. It was complicated, but finally they let me go.”

Aboubakar has started three of his four games for Besiktas since returning to the club. He is yet to score in his third spell in Turkey.

“Aboubakar Vincent -10-(c)-Cmr vs Bkn” by Franco237 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The image was modified.

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