AL NASSR
Cristiano: “I opened Pandora’s box and now everyone wants to come to Saudi Arabia”
The Portuguese striker spoke after the friendly match in which his team Al Nassr, fell to LaLiga’s Celta Vigo with a 5-0 defeat.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star attraction at the Estadio Algarve in a pre-season friendly game as his team, Al Nassr faced Celta Vigo on Monday night. The Spanish team romped to a 5-0 win with the veteran Portuguese player only involved in the first half.
After the game the Madeira born stiker was full of praise for the Saudi Pro League as the striker prepares to play in his second season with the Riyadh based outfit. “Cristiano has opened Pandora’s box and now everyone wants to go to Arabia”, assured the Portuguese about the growth of the Saudi competition and the high profile signings that the major clubs have made in recent weeks.
Ronaldo ruled out a return to Europe stating: “The door to Europe is closed”. “It’s not true that only veterans go to Arabia. This year high-quality young players like Jota and Rubén Neves are arriving”, assured the Portuguese. He also stated that the Saudi Pro League has more prestige than “the Turkish or the Dutch” leagues adding that he felt that LaLiga “has lost quality” and that the only league that is at a higher level is the English Premier League”.