There are countless stories about Cristiano Ronaldo, but Alvaro Gonzalez's one describes well what the footballer is really like off the pitch. The former Al-Nassr player has recounted a behind-the-scenes story from his first days in Saudi Arabia: at the time of his arrival, the Portuguese did not know that the club was not in a very good economic situation, to the point that some players had not received their salaries for six months. Among them was the defender, who during the first months of his adventure played without being paid, as he confessed on the Le Futbolin podcast. When CR7 discovered the situation, he put pressure on the Saudi government to pay off all outstanding debts before he started receiving his salary, a gesture that his teammates have never forgotten.
Cristiano Ronaldo's gesture to his teammates
For Alvaro Gonzalez, waiting a few months was no problem, because after 14 years of professional football he had saved up a small fortune that allowed him to live. But other teammates were not in the same situation and six months without a salary can be really difficult. Cristiano Ronaldo only discovered this situation after arriving in Saudi Arabia and his first thought was immediately for his new teammates: "The government had to pay him and he said that, with the first salary, which was certainly not small, the first thing to do was pay the players."
Cristiano Ronaldo won the title with Al-Nassr last season
The Portuguese refused to take the first money stipulated in his contract to help others: “There were some players who hadn't been paid, not all of them, and he said: 'Until these people get paid...'. Of course, he has a lot of money, but he wasn't forced to do it. It was his money. He did it because he's Cristiano". Thanks to him, everyone got their salaries, but Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't satisfied with that. The defender has shown that he always made sure everyone was well, like a great champion even off the pitch: "And then you realize that, day after day, he adds something to everything: 'Do you need a physiotherapist? What do you need? Support?'. It makes everything much easier".
