Ex-LaLiga star signs for WRONG club because of Ronaldo

Tom Weber

• Updated: 4 Dec 2024 14:13 CST
• 4 min read

Former LaLiga striker Thievy Bifouma moved to Iran in the summer to have a chance of facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League, but he has now revealed that he unwittingly signed for the wrong club.

The journeyman Republic of Congo international has played all across the globe in his career. Bifouma has lined up for the likes of Espanyol, West Brom, Stade Reims and several Turkish, Chinese and Greek clubs.

In the summer, he left AE Kifisias following their relegation to the Greek second tier and moved to Iran for the first time in his career. The 32-year-old linked up with one-time Gulf Pro League champions Esteghlal Khuzestan, joining the club on a free transfer.

Unbeknownst to Bifouma at the time, this Esteghlal was not actually the club he intended to join.

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Bifouma joins wrong club - because of Ronaldo

As he has now claimed, the striker actually wanted to join Tehran giants Esteghlal FC, who are nine-time Iranian champions and two-time AFC Champions League winners. And it was precisely because of the latter competition that he wanted to move to the Iranian capital.

Bifouma claims that he intended to join Esteghlal FC for the chance to square up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr in the Champions League. He was not aware that this particular club was not the only side named Esteghlal.

"I had the chance to play in Turkey, but my wife did not agree to move back there," he told the Tasnim News Agency. "I wish to play against Cristiano Ronaldo before I retire.

"Considering that he is now in Asia and there was an opportunity for me to come to Iran, they talked to me about Esteghlal's offer and I reviewed the calendar of games and realised that they have a game against Al-Nassr.

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"I said to myself that this is where I wanted to go. I had no idea there were two teams named Esteghlal in Iran," the 32-year-old claims. "When I arrived in Tehran, my countryman Gael Kakuta called me and asked where I was.

"I told him, 'I'm at the hotel undergoing medical tests.' He then asked, 'Which hotel are you in? I’d like to come and see you.' An hour later, he called again and teased me, saying, 'You play for the small Esteghlal, while we’re part of a bigger team. You defend, and we attack.'

"Regardless, it didn't matter because we ended up winning the game against them [on August 29], thanks to my goal."