FIFA supported our bid to sign Ronaldo for Club World Cup – Wydad Casablanca president

Wydad Casablanca president Hicham Aït-Menna has revealed that world football’s governing body, FIFA, was open to the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the 2025 Club World Cup, amid early efforts by the Moroccan side to lure the Portuguese star.

Speaking in an interview with RMC’s After Afrique, Aït-Menna confirmed for the first time that his club made informal contact about signing the Al-Nassr forward ahead of the tournament, which begins today, June 13, and runs through July 14.

Wydad are representing Morocco as one of the host nation’s leading clubs in the newly expanded 32-team format.

Aït-Menna, however, clarified that the proposal never moved beyond an exploratory stage.

“Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t have come for the money – he doesn’t need it,” he said.

“I don’t know how the rumour spread, but yes, I did reach out to one of his agent friends about three and a half or four months ago, asking: ‘Would he want to play the Club World Cup?’ He replied, ‘Listen, I don’t think so.’”

While the idea of seeing Ronaldo play in Moroccan colours quickly faded, Aït-Menna suggested FIFA were not opposed to the idea and even welcomed efforts to bring Saudi-based stars into the competition to help boost its profile.

“I think FIFA were also interested in bringing players from Saudi Arabia to give this first edition more momentum,” he added.

The 40-year-old Ronaldo remains under contract at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, and is not expected to feature in the competition.

Wydad, meanwhile, begin their Club World Cup campaign against Manchester City before taking on Juventus and Al-Ain in what promises to be a challenging group.