SUMMARY
- The Portuguese captain was speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards 2023 in Dubai. Al-Nassr's proposal to Cristiano came at a very important junction in his career.
- Cristiano praises the Saudi League despite discontent among players who joined in 2023, including Jordan Henderson at Al-Ettifaq.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the poster boy of the Saudi Pro League. The fans had earlier criticized the 38-year-old’s move to Al-Nassr in early January and questioned CR7’s greed for money. But the Portuguese has since turned the situation around with his stellar performances in the Saudi Pro League. In an outstanding achievement, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 54 goals in the year, 2023.
🚨Cristiano Ronaldo:
“Imagine I’m 39 and I’m ahead of Haaland as the world top-scorer.”
“Criticism? Last year, I had a difficult journey. But I like to prove the doubters wrong. I’ve been a professional for 22 years, so I enjoy when people criticize me and I come back and… pic.twitter.com/Mac2hh5Fm2
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) January 19, 2024
Cristiano even praised the country of Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese captain was speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards 2023 in Dubai. Al-Nassr’s proposal to Cristiano came at a very important junction in his career.
A disheartened CR7 had returned from the FIFA World Cup 2022, empty-handed. His fans had turned their backs on him and speculated the end of the 38-year-old’s career. But Cristiano Ronaldo has since regained his class and therefore, duly offered his gratitude to his club.
Cristiano Ronaldo does not regret his move to Saudi Arabia
CR7 is still going strong in the league. The Portuguese goal-scoring machine, since making his debut for Al-Nassr in January 2023, has scored 44 goals in 50 appearances. He scored twice in the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup to beat their nemesis Al-Hilal. CR7 also bagged the title of Best Middle East Player and the Maradona Award for being the best goalscorer in 2023 at Globe Soccer Awards 2023 all whilst playing for Al-Nassr.
It therefore can be assumed that Cristiano is having a phenomenal time at the Saudi Club. He even agreed to it, when he said, “I do not regret my decision to move to Saudi Arabia.” According to the former Real Madrid player, the world is leaning toward the Saudi Pro League and many players would be willing to join the league in the future.
Ajax is delighted to announce the signing of Jordan Henderson 🏴
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) January 18, 2024
Cristiano’s praise for the Saudi League comes at a time when players who moved to the Saudi League in the summer of 2023 look unhappy with their clubs. This is especially true in the case of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson who moved to Al-Ettifaq in 2023.
However, after only 6 months at the Saudi club, the English midfielder returned to Europe in January 2024 and joined the Eredivisie side AFC Ajax. Reportedly, Jordan wasn’t very pleased with the country’s climate and the attendance record in the stadiums.
CR7 believes that the Saudi League is at par with the Leagues in Europe
The 5-time-UEFA Champions League winner made these daring comments in the same event held in Dubai. CR7 believes that the Saudi League has improved massively in a very short time frame and is continuing to do so. While praising the League, The Al-Nassr player however stirred up a huge controversy. Cristiano Ronaldo compared the Saudi Pro League with the French Ligue 1 and established the supremacy of the former.
He said, “I believe that the Saudi league is not weaker than the French league; it’s better. I know what I’m saying.” This took the internet by storm and even Ligue 1 took a jibe at the 38-year-old via social media.
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 19, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo also talked about the prospects of the Saudi League and discussed his ambitions for the league. He said, “I believe that the Saudi League will become among the top 3 leagues in the world and people in Saudi Arabia will be proud. The 5-time Ballon d’Or winner showed his thankfulness for the Saudi people and said that he is happy playing for Al-Nassr.