Many Manchester United fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Bruno Fernandes rejected a big-money move to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) earlier this week.
Fernandes admitted that accepting Al-Hilal’s mind-boggling offer to more than double his current salary would have been an easy move to make.
International teammates Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves already play for the SPL club, which would have helped Fernandes settle in a new environment.
However, the Portuguese playmaker has decided he still has unfinished business in Europe. His move should be applauded.
It is obviously worth noting that rejecting an offer of silly money is significantly easier when you already earn silly money.
That is a side issue to the primary element which has influenced his decision. Saudi Arabia is still a footballing backwater.
While SPL clubs have signed some big names over the past couple of years, they’ve been unable to acquire a truly top-class player in their prime.
Fernandes’ rejection of Al-Hilal is on par with Mohamed Salah’s decision to stay at Liverpool rather than chase the riches on offer in the Middle East.
The power brokers at the SPL may believe that chucking cash around like confetti will ultimately deliver the desired results.
Fernandes has shown them, for now, that money can’t buy everything.
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The Nations League semi-final between Germany and Portugal is the headline act tonight.
