Revealed: How Cristiano Ronaldo Influenced Rahm’s £450m LIV Golf Barton

The reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm talked about how Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar influenced his choice to play in the Saudi breakaway league at LIV Golf.

The Spanish sensation is rumoured to have signed a £450 million ($566 million) contract that will remove him from the PGA Tour and the Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods-created TGL League. The Ryder Cup hero, Rahm, will have his own team in the LIV organisation, where he will play in the Middle East among players such as Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, and Lee Westwood.

READ ALSO: Revealed: Real Madrid Defender That Forced Ronaldo To Swap Wings 

Football legends like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar have already inked significant deals with teams in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the country’s massive financial support of professional sports, which spans from boxing to Formula One. Rahm acknowledges that his decision to take on a new challenge was influenced by money, saying that great athletes from other disciplines persuaded him to do so.

Rahm has told Barstool Golf when asked if the riches on offer in the Middle East influenced his decision: “It’s one of the reasons, I’m not going to sit here and lie to you. It’s one of the reasons. When Ronaldo, Neymar, Benzema went those are big enough names to think why not me? Clearly they’re trying to create a positive impact in sports. I’m happy that in a small way I can help with that.”

Ronaldo is currently on the books of Al-Nassr, alongside former Liverpool star Sadio Mane, while Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer Neymar is nursing an injury at Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal and ex-Real Madrid striker Benzema is with Al-Ittihad.