Cristiano Ronaldo claims Saudi Pro League can become the ‘fourth most competitive in the world’ after Al-Nassr transfer
CRISTIANO RONALDO has made a big prediction after his move to the Middle East.
That’s by claiming the Saudi Pro League will become the “fourth most competitive in the world.”
Ronaldo, 38, made a shock move to Al-Nassr at the start of the year after leaving Manchester United.
The Portugal legend was unable to attract interest from other major European clubs.
And he is now looking to raise the profile of football in Saudi Arabia after nine goals in his first eight league matches.
Several big names like Luiz Gustavo and Odion Ighalo also ply their trade in the country.
While Lionel Messi is reportedly set to be offered a £194-MILLION-A-YEAR deal to head to Riyadh too – likely with Al-Nassr’s big rivals Al-Hilal.
And Ronaldo is confident the Saudi top flight can soon become one of the best leagues in the world.
He said: “I think you should look at the (SPL) in a different way.
“I’m not going to say that the league is a Premier League, that would be a lie.
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“But it’s a very competitive league that I’m positively surprised by, a very balanced league and good teams.
“I am sure that in the coming years the league will be the fourth, fifth or sixth most competitive league in the world.”
In the meantime, Ronaldo is set to break the record for the most capped international player of all time.
An appearance against Liechtenstein tonight would see him win his 197th cap for Portugal, surpassing Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa.
Ronaldo is already the top international goalscorer with 118 strikes and admits he always dreamed of breaking the appearance record too.
Ronnie added: “I like to break records. I have broken lots of records.
“In addition to being the best scorer ever for national teams, I was also looking to be the international player with the most caps.”