Cristiano Ronaldo paid lip service.
“Ronaldo scored the goal that lifted Al Nasr to victory,” the UK’s ‘Sports Bible’ reported on Thursday. He scored the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Al Shabab. Ronaldo helped Al Nasr keep their title hopes alive with the come-from-behind win. After the game, he made some unbelievable comments about the Saudi Professional League (SPL).”메이저놀이터
According to the outlet, Ronaldo was interviewed after the game against Al Shabab and said, “We have grown a lot more. The SPL is getting better and better. Next year, it will be even better,” he quipped.
“I think the SPL will be among the ‘big five’ leagues step by step, but it takes time, players and infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has incredible potential, they have great players, and I think the SPL is a great league.”
Ronaldo’s relationship with Lionel Messi, which once bisected world football, is currently in a downward spiral. Last year, an interview with Piers Morgan caused a stir. Ronaldo publicly criticized manager Eric ten Hagh, which led to him terminating his contract with Manchester United.
He was expected to stay in Europe, but it didn’t work out. He hit the market as a free agent, but no club could afford his astronomical salary, so he left Europe for a fresh start in Saudi Arabia. Al Nasr sealed the deal by promising Ronaldo an astronomical €200 million a year.
The stage is set, and the attacking points are being swept away. Ronaldo has 14 goals and two assists in 15 appearances in the Saudi Professional League. In February, he was named Saudi Arabia’s February Player of the Month after a whopping eight goals and two assists in four league games. However, Al Nasr have been struggling at the top of the table, losing ground to Al Ittihad.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has paid lip service to the SPL, saying it has the potential to be among the top five leagues in the world. The oil money has brought in a host of star players, but it’s too early to tell.
For now, the SPL has only won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) on six occasions. To make it to the top five leagues, the SPL must first overcome South Korea’s K League (12 titles) and Japan’s J League (8 titles), both of which dominate the Asian stage.