Mariano Barreto was one of the first Portuguese to work in Saudi football – he coached Al Nassr, where Ronaldo plays today, in 2005, and later coached Al-Qadisiya, between 2011 and 2013. In an interview with DN, the 66- The year-old coach discusses the current exodus of renowned footballers to that country and makes a comparison with his time.
We see the announcement of big stars on their way to clubs in Saudi Arabia almost daily. Is it only the financial aspect that explains this new trend?
Of course the financial part is the most important factor, but it is not the only one. Those who know about football in this part of the world know that this arrival of big players has been going on for some time, although it has been almost exclusively aimed at players at the end of their careers and more so in countries like the United Arab Emirates. Emirates and Qatar, which were more open regimes. In the last two years, a transformation has taken place in Saudi Arabia, following the World Cup in Qatar, with the Saudi government deciding to capitalize on football’s visibility to promote the country. On the other hand, Saudi society itself is more open and provides a better quality of life.
What do you think about the possibility of Bernardo Silva moving to Saudi football?
I believe the Saudi government is very keen to have Bernardo Silva there, but I highly doubt he will want to go, even given his profile. He is someone who is very discreet, who has built his career hard and who, in my opinion, is the best Portuguese player. I find it hard to believe that for financial reasons he decides to stop participating in European football and major competitions such as the Champions League.
In any case, we have seen some cases of players accepting invites at the peak of their careers.
Yes, but the cases of football players under 30 are not so many. The big players who are at the top of their careers are competitive animals and want to keep playing in the big leagues. In the end, I think the power of European football will triumph over the magic of Saudi money.
There is the case of Rúben Neves, who is only 26 years old…
The example of Rúben Neves marks a paradigm shift and it is not just those big names at the end of their careers who are moving to Saudi football. Again, I emphasize that the financial aspect will be the main reason, but money is not everything in life and I believe there is also a belief that the competitiveness of the local League will increase exponentially. I don’t think it will happen now, but it could happen in the future.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, in December 2022, was of course decisive in increasing the visibility of Saudi football…
No doubt he had a huge media impact in the early rounds of the championship, but when I spoke to some of the contacts I maintained in the country, I realized that the Ronaldo effect was fading a bit, as Al Nassr ultimately did not win the championship and strangely enough the winner was Al Ittihad, the team of “our” Nuno Espírito Santo. They realized that it is not enough to hire a great player for a club to become champions straight away and that was a big disappointment for them.
When Ronaldo arrived at Al Nassr, he predicted that the Saudi League would be among the top five in the world in five years. Do you agree?
If the financial strength of Saudi clubs makes it possible to raise the competitive level considerably, it will take less than five years. However, money is not everything and I don’t know if they will be able to sign so many high level players who are not yet at the end of their careers. That is, I have serious doubts that in five years they will be among the top five leagues in the world. This is a very big change for the players, who will have to live in a completely different environment, with a different culture and customs. And without forgetting the climate, we are talking about a country where it is normal to be 35 or 40 degrees at night and easily reaches 50 degrees during the day. On the other hand, we have already seen examples that did not work in the past, in countries such as China and the US, which also imported high-quality players, but it was verified that the championships did not rise to the desired qualitative level.
Are the Saudi people passionate about football? Can the massive arrival of star players increase stadium attendance?
Saudis enjoy watching football games at home, in air-conditioned comfort and with friends. It’s not easy going to a stadium to experience temperatures of 40 degrees. I had friends in Saudi Arabia who went to football every 15 days but took a plane to go to Manchester United stadium! If big footballers continue to come in significant numbers, those who are used only on television, the number of visitors will certainly increase somewhat, but it cannot be said that the Saudis are big football fans.
Do you believe that the arrival of big stars will also lead to the development of Saudi players?
Yes, and the truth is that the attitude of Saudi footballers has changed a lot compared to my time. At that time football for them was just to pass the time, to have fun, it was a bit like going to the gym for us. There were players who didn’t show up for practice and the justification they gave was that they had to take their brother to the mall or they had a headache. Today the mentality is already different and football is seen more seriously, but only at a professional level, because in the II league everything remains the same.
Do you feel that Saudi Arabia is now a more open country, which could facilitate the integration of foreign footballers?
Yes No doubt. When I was there in 2005, my wife was pregnant and couldn’t even go out or drive alone, and had to wear a scarf around her head. I also remember that there were beautiful beaches, but that they were only used by men, because women always had to be covered, fortunately that has changed nowadays.
Do you have curious stories from your time in Saudi Arabia that show the cultural difference?
I’ve got a lot… Look, I can say that prayers are a false question. Players do not give up on fully fulfilling their religious obligations, but simply reschedule training sessions and the problem is solved. I can tell you a funny story: whenever we went to the mall, we left the car running and the air conditioning on. This is because the car park was outside and if we didn’t the car would be an authentic oven! When people ask me if our cars are not stolen, I answer that there are no thieves in Saudi Arabia…
Source: DN
