Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo has been with the Saudi Pro League side for two years and has been linked with a return to a top European league when his contract expires
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he has no plans to leave Al-Nassr, with the Saudi club playing catch-up in this season’s title race.
Ronaldo, who turns 40 in February, moved to Riyadh midway through the 2022-23 season after his second Manchester United spell came to a dramatic end. He has had no trouble climbing the scoring charts, but a league title continues to evade him.
The veteran is under contract until the end of the current campaign, with Al-Nassr currently down in fourth. They’re some 11 points adrift of league leaders Al-Ittihad, who have Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema up front.
Ronaldo has been linked with a move back to Europe, despite insisting at his Saudi unveiling in January 2023 that his work on the continent was done. He even suggested the Saudi Pro League is superior to France’s Ligue 1 – drawing a spiky reaction from Adil Rami – and has now spoken in greater depth about what lies ahead.
“I’m happy and my family is happy,” Ronaldo told club media (via ESPN) as he marked two years as al Al-Nassr player. “We started a new life in this beautiful country. Life is good, football is good. In terms of individual and collective, we are still there; we are still improving.
“For me, it is an honour that the league is growing and many star players are coming to make the league even better and more competitive,” he said. “To be the first one — let’s say a star — to come here is an honour, but what I’m looking forward to is the next five to 10 years of the league still improving. Not only the first teams, but also the academies.
“Not just for the future of the Saudi [players] and the league, but for the country and to compete with other leagues, this is my dream. And this is what I will try to help the country and league reach and be there at that level. People look at Cristiano as an example, not just on the pitch, but also off it.”
How much longer will Cristiano Ronaldo play for Al-Nassr? Have your say in the comments section
The update follows Ronaldo’s comments about France’s top tier, where his great rival Lionel Messi previously spent two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain. France international Rami didn’t take too kindly to the Portuguese, though, snapping back on his Twitch channel.
“He talks s***,” Rami said “You want me to show you images of the defenders in Saudi Arabia. It’s not because he’s had a crazy career that as soon as he says something it’s the truth. I think it’s a PR stunt. We have defenders, they are machines! You put him in Ligue 1 and he gets eaten.
“Cristiano Ronaldo, you know, I’m a fan. I’m Team Cristiano Ronaldo but he made a mistake. When he says that the Saudi championship is better than the one in France, he brings a lot of people with him.”
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