Before the Spanish Super Cup final between Los Blancos and Barcelona in Riyadh, wherein Ronaldo is currently stationed with Al Nassr, the captain of Los Blancos spoke.
The captain of Real Madrid, Nacho, is confident that the influence of his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, on Saudi Arabian football will make the Saudi Pro League one of the top leagues globally.
One of the finest and most well-known football players of all time, Ronaldo, cleared the way for the Saudi Pro League (SPL) in January of last year after he inked a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Nassr, the dominant team in Riyadh.
The Saudi Premier League (SPL) has seen a dramatic and ambitious makeover because the 38-year-old Portuguese superstar moved to the kingdom a year ago. The league’s four largest clubs, led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, have seen a large influx of high-profile players.
Ronaldo’s new teammates at Nassr include former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte and forward Sadio Mane from Bayern Munich and Liverpool; Brazilian sensation Neymar and Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves from Al Hilal; former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad; and Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez from Al Ahli and former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.
According to the SPL’s director of football Michael Emenalo, signing experienced players is just one aspect of a larger plan to make the league one of the top five in the globe. This was revealed to The National.
As a player and league ambassador, Ronaldo’s involvement has been essential to raising awareness of the SPL, and according to Nacho, the record goalscorer for Real Madrid has had a “very clear” impact.
“One of the most outstanding players in the sport’s history of the world is Cristiano Ronaldo,” Nacho declared prior to Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup matchup with rival Barcelona in Riyadh.
After a long-term agreement was reached between the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the kingdom, the Spanish Super Cup was redesigned and is now played in Saudi Arabia in January. Instead of being a one-time match, it now features four teams competing in a knockout format. Due to Covid-19 limits, January 2021 was the lone exemption.
Real Madrid, the victors of two of the three Super Cups hosted in Saudi Arabia, defeated Atletico Madrid 5-3 in overtime to advance to the final, where they will take on Barcelona on Sunday night.
Real Madrid, who lost to Barcelona 3-1 in the previous year’s Super Cup final, has the chance to exact retribution, and Nacho is optimistic his team will win in Al-Awwal Park.
