Cristiano Ronaldo wants a “Saudi trilogy” with Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema as he continues his new challenge in the Saudi Professional League.
Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Al Nasr to prepare for next season and said that other stars should come to Saudi Arabia as well, global sports media outlet ESPN reported on Feb. 2 (KST), citing an interview with the Saudi Professional League.
“It’s very good,” Ronaldo said of the Saudi league in an interview with the secretariat, “but we still have a lot of opportunities to grow. The league is competitive. There are good teams, there are good Arab players. But they need to develop in more infrastructure,” he said.
“Even the referees, the VAR system needs to come in faster. There are other small things that need to improve. But I’m happy. I’m here to stay. In five years, I think the Saudi league will be among the top five leagues in the world.”
Ronaldo went on to say that the league’s development would be accelerated if stars like Benzema and Messi, who are currently being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, came to the kingdom.
“If stars like Benzema and Messi come, young players, older players, they will be very welcome. The league will develop further,” he said.
Ronaldo took on a new challenge in Saudi Arabia at the end of last year when he joined Al Nasr in the Saudi Pro League. He finished his first season in Saudi Arabia without a win. He lost the league and the King’s Cup to Nuno Santu’s Al Ittihad.
After Ronaldo, the Saudis are showing other ambitions. Messi has been strongly linked with Al Hilal and Benzema with champions Al Ittihad.
If they were to join Saudi Arabia, it would be a triumvirate of stars. Al Nasr and Al Hilal are local rivals in the capital, Riyadh, and Al Hilal and Al Ittihad have a well-known feud in the country. 안전놀이터
However, both players have been lukewarm about a move to Saudi Arabia. Messi wants to return to Barcelona, while his father, agent Jorge Messi, is keen on a move to Saudi Arabia.
For now, Benzema has indicated that he will stay at Real for one more season. On the same day, at an awards ceremony organized by Spanish newspaper Marca, he declared his intention to stay at the club.