Jordan Henderson found the standard in the Saudi Professional League too low and left the desert for Ajax Amsterdam. Cristiano Ronaldo thinks very differently
Would Cristiano Ronaldo also be among the top scorers in Ligue 1? He certainly leads the Saudi Professional League with 20 goals, ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic of Al-Hilal. And the 38-year-old is fully convinced of the level of the league.
“I’ve been playing there for a year and I know what I’m talking about. I think we’re better than the French league at the moment,” said the Al-Nassr attacker at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai on Friday. In France’s top league with serial champions Paris Saint-Germain, there are only “two or three teams at a good level”, said the Portuguese, “there is more competition in Saudi Arabia”.
A controversial view, and not just in terms of level. The competitive situation in the two leagues described by Ronaldo also does not correspond to the current situation. Al-Hilal (53 points) clearly lead the table ahead of Al-Nassr (46), with Al-Ahli (40) six points behind Ronaldo’s club. Fourth-placed Al-Taawoun (34) are already 19 points behind the leaders. In France, the gap between leaders PSG and fourth-placed Monaco is just 10 points
Oracle Ronaldo and the “young lions “
Ronaldo’s prophecy: Step by step, the Saudi Pro League will develop into one of the three or four best leagues in the world. Ronaldo has no regrets about his own move a year ago to the kingdom, which has been criticized for its human rights situation. “I think it was a good move. I feel so happy.” He has beaten “young lions” like Erling Haaland from Champions League winners Manchester City in terms of the number of goals, “I’m proud of that.”
He also wants to help with a possible change in Saudi Arabia, as Ronaldo told the podium. “I am capable of doing that. I’m not arrogant, but I said a year ago: things are changing, the world is changing, soccer is changing, the rules are changing, everything is changing.”
Ronaldo also spoke about the timing of the end of his career, albeit not too seriously. “It will be soon, and by soon I mean in 10 years,” he said with a smile, before admitting: “I don’t know. “
