“Signing Cristiano is just the start, Saudi Arabia will not stop there”
Former Al-Nassr coach Raúl Caneda, claims that the Gulf nation aspires to become one of the world’s great leagues after the signing of the Portuguese.
Pontevedra born Raúl Caneda has plenty of insight to the Saudi Arabian league having managed two of the most important teams in the Gulf nation: Al-Ittihad in 2012-13 and A-Nassr over two different periods (2014 and 2016), with the Riyadh based club having now acquired a global dimension following the the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. Caneda knows exactly what awaits the Portuguese star... and the world of football.
Did the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo with Al-Nassr surprise you?
Partly yes, partly no. I already knew that in Saudi Arabia there was a desire to give their league a greater profile and we are talking about one of the most popular championships in Asia.
Do you think the Portuguese striker has made a wise move?
I have seen Iniesta, Xavi and Raúl go to other ‘so-called’ lesser leagues and no one said they took a step back. Cristiano is going to have the best contract in the history of football. I think that different phobias influence this type of opinion and it is still a bit of that very European vision, that sometimes we believe we are the focal point world.
Are you referring to the Qatar World Cup too?
Qatar has a great financial muscle and some clubs with a football tradition, but Saudi Arabia is the nerve center of Arab football and the comparison is similar to that of Spain with Andorra. In Saudi Arabia there are a maximum of eight foreigners per team and they are usually of a very good level. In 2012, when we played in the Champions League semi finals, three of the four qualifiers were from Saudi. Al-Hilal has won two of the last four editions of that tournament and the Saudi finals are followed by 20 million people from the likes of Algeria, Morocco, Egypt... Al-Hilal vs.Al-Nassr is a kind of Real Madrid-Barcelona in the Arab world. There is still and ignorance regarding soccer outside Asia relating to football culture in that country.
What league will Cristiano find then?
A very demanding championship. I remember that I arrived at Al-Ittihad in February and I was the third coach of that season. For me, their league is equivalent to that of Turkey with immense economic power.
Cristiano’s 200 million?
Cristiano’s signing I feel is just the start. Al-Nassr’s rivals will also want their piece of the cake and things are not going to stop at Ronaldo. They (Saudi Investment Fund PIF) have bought Newcastle United and want to boost their league to another level with the goal of having it among the 10 best championships in the world.
And Al-Nassr?
A great club, among the three most important in Saudi Arabia and they are going to demand a lot from Cristiano. In Saudi Arabia there are three or four teams that would compete very well in the Spanish First Division.
And as far as life is concerned, how will Cristiano’s life change?
The country has changed a lot in terms of freedom and Europeans have different lifestyles from local citizens. Then there is the weather, which almost always forces you to train at night. Cristiano will find the media attention relentless however and he may find that something of a suffocating environment.