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Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo could have spent around £77,000 on shirts which he has handed over to opponents.
Opposition players exchanging shirts at the end of a game is a common occurrence in football. However, the 38-year-old goalkeeper has revealed that this tradition has financial consequences for the players. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ben Foster said:
"Cristiano Ronaldo gives his shirt away pretty much every single game. But what you don't know is us footballers actually have to pay for every single shirt we give away."
After performing a small calculation, Ben Foster approximated that Cristiano Ronaldo could owe as much as £77,000 to the various teams he's played for. Foster arrived at the calculation after assuming that the 36-year-old forward might have given away one shirt per match in his entire career. Foster added:
"So, he's played 1,100 games in his career, alright. You get two shirts per game and I ain't saying he gives away every shirt every single game. But in those 1,110 games, you'd like to think that he's given one away every single game. Pretty much, alright, give or take one or two."
Foster continued:
"So, we're going to start with that figure: 1,100 games. And if you look at the price of what these shirts cost nowadays - the current home Manchester United shirt costs £100. Don't get me wrong, back in the day they were a bit cheaper - £50, £60 - so they cost on average about £70. 1,100 shirts times £70 is £77,000."
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most popular players in the Premier League with with every opposition player and fan in attendance wanting his shirt at the end of the game.
It is worth noting that both Ben Foster and Ronaldo were once teammates at Manchester United. The duo played together from 2007 to 2009 before the Portuguese superstar moved to Real Madrid for a record fee of £80 million.
Manchester United struggling despite goals from Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season. The 36-year-old forward has scored 14 goals in 21 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.
Despite the plethora of goals scored by their star forward, Manchester United continue to struggle in the Premier League. As things stand, Ralf Rangnick's side are languishing in seventh place. They are behind the likes of West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Manchester United are scheduled to take on Aston Villa on January 15 in the Premier League. The Red Devils have already beaten Aston Villa once this season when they knocked them out of the FA Cup in the third round on January 11.
Villa, though, beat United 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season. They are currently 14th in the Premier League table.
