Al-Hilal star details Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Kante influence in his decision to join SPL side last summer
Al-Hilal star Kalidou Koulibaly has spoken about how Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N'Golo Kante influenced his decision to join the club last summer. He notably left Chelsea after spending just one season with the Blues, where he played 32 games.
The 32-year-old center-back moved to Al-Hilal last summer. He went on to win the Saudi Pro League and the King Cup, making 44 appearances. The former Chelsea defender has now opened up about his decision to join Al-Hilal, revealing that his influence had come through other players. In an interview with Mirror, Koulibaly said (via GOAL):
“At the start, nobody really knew much about this league. It was a big decision for me. But when I saw players like Ronaldo, [Karim] Benzema, [N’Golo] Kante – who I was playing with at Chelsea then – make those moves, I also made my choice.
"I had a difficult year at Chelsea, and I wanted to see something else. When they called me, I studied up about the club, and I’m really happy to be here today.”
He expressed his view of the Saudi Pro League's quality, adding:
“When I came, I was thinking this league would be easier than others, but I was surprised about the standard of my team-mates, and surprised at the level of the league.
"Even clubs that don’t have big, big-name players are very good – it’s difficult to play against them all. The level is not quite the same as Europe, but over time it will get there because the players will want to come and improve the league.”
Koulibaly will be pleased with how his first year at Al-Hilal has gone, as he has won three trophies with the club - with the Saudi Super Cup inclusive.
Jose Mourinho backs Cristiano Ronaldo to score at Euro 2024
While Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to secure a trophy with Al-Nassr before the season came to an end, he has the chance to win with Portugal. The 39-year-old has not slowed down, scoring 35 goals in 31 Saudi Pro League, which included back-to-back hat-tricks against Al Tai and Abha.
Now, Cristiano Ronaldo could continue in the same goalscoring vein with Portugal at UEFA Euro 2024, and Jose Mourinho expects him to do just that. He said to RTP (via GOAL):
“Cristiano is the one who knows how he feels, what his goals are, how the coach wants to use him, whether to play every minute of every game or protect him in key moments.
"But there’s a lot that goes on inside that gets between them. He has a lot of influence and he will score his goals. I don’t believe he will leave the European Championship without goals.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will certainly be looking to walk away from what might potentially be his last EUROs with the trophy.