Cristiano Ronaldo backs Saudi League to be in world’s top five
June 2, 2023
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo says the Saudi Premier League, where he currently plays for Al Nassr, has the potential to be one of the top five leagues in the world if it continues to improve.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who joined Al Nassr when his contract at Manchester United was terminated, said that while he was looking forward to extending his stay in Riyad, he also hoped the league would improve.
Speaking to the SPL the 198-cap Portuguese international said: “The league is very good. But I think we have many, many opportunities to still grow.
“The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players, but they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure.
“Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker. I think other small things they need to improve.
“But I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here. And in my opinion, if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top-five league in the world,” he said.
Ronaldo’s high-profile move to the Saudi capital has brought the SPL into the spotlight and suddenly many stars are seeing it as a viable destination. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has been heavily linked with a move to SPL champions Al Ittihad while there is also plenty of speculation suggesting the free-agent Lionel Messi could also be moving to the middle east.
Reflecting on his first six months in Saudi Ronaldo said: “My expectation was a little bit different. To be honest, I expected to win something this year, but it is not always the way we think or the way we want, sometimes we need passion, consistency, and persistence to achieve the best things.
“So, I still believe that next year we will improve a lot, let us say in the last five or six months, the team has improved a lot, even the league, all the teams improved.
“It takes time sometimes, but if you believe and you think it is your goal, I think everything is possible. I expected to win something this year, but we didn’t, but next year I am really positive and confident that things will change, and we go in a better way. So, let us believe that and work on that,” he said.
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Cristiano Ronaldo backs Saudi League to be in world’s top five
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo says the Saudi Premier League, where he currently plays for Al Nassr, has the potential to be one of the top five leagues in the world if it continues to improve.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who joined Al Nassr when his contract at Manchester United was terminated, said that while he was looking forward to extending his stay in Riyad, he also hoped the league would improve.
Speaking to the SPL the 198-cap Portuguese international said: “The league is very good. But I think we have many, many opportunities to still grow.
“The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players, but they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure.
“Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker. I think other small things they need to improve.
“But I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here. And in my opinion, if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top-five league in the world,” he said.
Ronaldo’s high-profile move to the Saudi capital has brought the SPL into the spotlight and suddenly many stars are seeing it as a viable destination. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has been heavily linked with a move to SPL champions Al Ittihad while there is also plenty of speculation suggesting the free-agent Lionel Messi could also be moving to the middle east.
Reflecting on his first six months in Saudi Ronaldo said: “My expectation was a little bit different. To be honest, I expected to win something this year, but it is not always the way we think or the way we want, sometimes we need passion, consistency, and persistence to achieve the best things.
“So, I still believe that next year we will improve a lot, let us say in the last five or six months, the team has improved a lot, even the league, all the teams improved.
“It takes time sometimes, but if you believe and you think it is your goal, I think everything is possible. I expected to win something this year, but we didn’t, but next year I am really positive and confident that things will change, and we go in a better way. So, let us believe that and work on that,” he said.