Cristiano Ronaldo said he has been surprised by the level of competitiveness in the Saudi Pro League since joining Al Nassr in January after leaving Manchester United. Ronaldo had left the club after claiming he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo also slammed his former teammates Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville. Follow Latest Football News Live on InsideSport.IN
“I think you should look at the (Saudi Pro League) in a different way,” he told reporters. “I’m not going to say that the league is a Premier League, that would be a lie.
“But it’s a very competitive league that I’m positively surprised by, a very balanced league and good teams.
Cristiano Ronaldo on the future of Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo on Al Nassr move: “Saudi’s is very competitive league. It’s not Premier League, I’m not going to lie, but it’s a league that left me positively surprised” 🇸🇦🤝🏻
“In 5,6,7 years, if they continue with the plan, it will be the 4th, 5th league in the world”. pic.twitter.com/Yy4BcRLJ1A
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 22, 2023
“I am sure that in the coming years the league will be … the fourth, fifth or sixth most competitive league in the world,” added Ronaldo, who moved to Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract worth a reported €200 million (US$214.71 million).
Ronaldo is part of the Portugal squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Liechtenstein later on Thursday and Luxembourg on Sunday.
The 38-year-old, who was benched by former coach Fernando Santos for their last two games at the World Cup, would make his 197th appearance for Portugal if he plays against Liechtenstein, surpassing Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa as the most capped player in men’s football.
“I like to break records, I have broken lot of records …,” said Ronaldo, who debuted for Portugal in 2003.
“In addition to being the best scorer ever for national teams, I was also looking to be the international player with the most caps.”
Portugal, who are now coached by Roberto Martinez, are in the same qualifying group as Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.
