This Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he would like to continue with Al Nassr, in the Saudi football league, and that he is “confident that things will change” after a season that fell short of his expectations.
In an interview with the Saudi Pro League, published on Instagram and Twitter, he assumes that “the expectation was a bit different”.
“I was hoping to win something this year, but it’s not always the way we think or want,” the Portuguese striker acknowledged.
@AlNassrFC‘s @Cristiano Ronaldo talks about his experience so far and looks forward to next season in an exclusive #SPL to chat! Football, family and life in Saudi Arabia – we discuss it all ⚽#RoshnSaudiLeague #CR7 pic.twitter.com/kCDrX63pvM
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) June 1, 2023
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been with Al Nassr since late 2022 in what is his first experience outside Europe, is confident the team will perform better next season.
“We need passion, consistency and perseverance to achieve the best things. I still believe that next year we will improve a lot. In the last five, six months the team has grown a lot,” confirmed the striker.
The captain of the Portugal national team, which has 198 caps, took the confidence to return to titles soon.
“Sometimes it takes time, but if we think about it and believe it’s our goal, I think anything is possible. I expected to win something this year, but we didn’t succeed, but I’m confident that next year things will change and we will take a better path,” he said.
In 16 games for the Saudi club, Ronaldo scored 14 goals in 1,701 minutes played, which was not enough for Al Nassr to become champion, he finished second behind Al Ittihad, trained by Portuguese Nuno Espírito Santo.
In the interview, Cristiano Ronaldo praised the Saudi League, which he considered “competitive”, but stressed that “it has many opportunities to grow”.
“We have very good teams and very good Arab players, but they need to improve the infrastructure a bit more. Even the referees and the video referee system (VAR) should be a bit faster. I think there are little things where they need to be.” improve. improve. But I’m happy here, I want to stay here, I’m staying here. And in my opinion, if they continue to do the job they want to do, in the next five years, I think the Saudi League can be one of the top five in the world,” reinforced.
On a personal and family level, the Portuguese also praised life in Saudi Arabia, where “it is very nice to live”: “If you want to come here to have fun, get to know the culture and eat well. The Saudis live more at night , which I find very interesting. When you get to know the city at night, you realize that it is very beautiful. And if you are a fan of good food, come to Riyadh, the city has some of the best quality restaurants I’ve ever found”.
Source: DN
