Hancko (right) faced Ronaldo at Euro 2024 - Photo: REUTERS
A few weeks ago, Al Nassr shocked the football world by awarding Ronaldo a half-billion-dollar contract. But now they have become the target of criticism from the entire football world.
Dávid Hancko, the versatile Slovakian defender who plays for Feyenoord (Netherlands), has just become the victim of the strangest story of the 2025 summer transfer window.
From a "successful deal" with Al Nassr, Hancko was unexpectedly... dropped by Ronaldo's team at the last minute.
Last week, Feyenoord and Al Nassr reached an agreement to transfer Hancko for a total value of up to 35 million euros ($41 million).
The 27-year-old defender has even agreed personal terms, signing a three-season contract (until 2028, with an option to extend) and saying goodbye to his teammates in Rótterdam to head to Austria, where Al Nassr are holding a summer training camp.
In the original plan, Al Nassr planned to quickly add Hancko to this training trip, to help him quickly get acquainted with the team.
However, things quickly turned chaotic when Hancko arrived. According to reports from AS and Flashscore , Al Nassr immediately ignored the player.
He was not allowed to stay in the same hotel as his teammates, was not allowed to participate in training and was forced to stay in a separate hotel. Every move showed that Hancko was no longer welcome.
By the afternoon of July 22, Al Nassr made a shocking decision: canceling the deal at the last minute, pushing Hancko back to Feyenoord.
“This is a real scandal, a real shock,” Feyenoord technical advisor Raymond Salomon said. “To bring him to a training camp and then say there is no place for him is unprecedented.”
The incident not only had an immediate impact on Hancko - who liquidated his apartment in the Netherlands and said goodbye to his teammates - but also had a chain effect on other Feyenoord deals.
Specifically, Feyenoord planned to reinvest the money from selling Hancko to buy two other stars, but now everything is stalled.
Hancko in Feyenoord shirt - Photo: REUTERS
As for Hancko, he immediately returned to Feyenoord's training center in Grassau, Germany, where coach Robin van Persie and his teammates still warmly welcomed him.
It is expected that Hancko will continue to accompany Feyenoord in important friendly matches with Nice, Wolfsburg and several other teams to prepare for the Champions League qualifiers.
The international media is still very surprised by this story. Goal.com called it "a shocking failed transfer".
Al Nassr has yet to make any official statement on the incident.
The Saudi Arabian club have plans for a major overhaul this summer, but have so far failed to make any notable signings other than renewing Ronaldo's contract, in a historic deal.
European media are still very curious about how Al Nassr canceled the deal, because many previous reports said that Hancko had actually signed a contract with Feyenoord.
Whatever the reason, Ronaldo's team has set a strange precedent in football history. They bid for a superstar worth around $41 million, who showed up at their door and then... dropped the deal.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/soc-doi-bong-cua-ronaldo-dat-mua-cau-thu-41-trieu-usd-roi-bom-hang-2025072223585551.htm
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