What did Saudi Arabia head coach Hervé Renard say about Al Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo?
The Saudi Arabia boss hailed the arrival of the former Real Madrid and Manchester United ace, because of the impact it will have on not just the sport, but the country itself.
It would be fair to say, that the entire world is awaiting the debut of Cristiano Ronaldo with Al Nassr, after joining the Saudi Pro-League side back in December. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait another 16 days as the 37-year-old serves a two-match ban for smashing an Everton fan’s phone, when he was still a Manchester United player. It is also understood that Ronaldo was registered late by his new club after his arrival.
While the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star continues to train towards his peak capacity ahead of his debut, Saudia Arabia’s national team head coach, Hervé Renard, praised the arrival of the Portuguese ‘superstar’ to Al Nassr. The 54-year-old manager spoke of the huge impact that Ronaldo will have on the country while speaking with TribalFootball.
The Cristiano Ronaldo effect
“Due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, due to the media impact he has, this is something that cannot be defined. It is a light, it is a sunlight that covers Saudi Arabia,” stated Renard. “In any case, that is the objective. He will bring the country to the fore a little faster. For context, Mohammad bin Salman came to power in 2017. It’s been five, six years and [football development] is very short, so there’s a will to achieve a goal that is a slogan here: ‘Saudi 2030.’ [Referring to the country making a bid to host the World Cup].
“Nowadays, Saudi Arabia is one of those countries, which are few in the world, that can attract many great international celebrities,” Renard continued. “It’s not just in the sports sector, in the music industry we have DJ Snake and Drake, who often come to Saudi Arabia, and so on. These are just examples on a cultural level. Sport will also be part of these vectors that will make Saudi Arabia spend a lot of money. But if it does, it will certainly be able to afford it. This will put a huge focus of attention on the country. The victory against Argentina in the World Cup was already a great victory and the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo is something huge for the country,” concluded the Saudi boss.