Cristiano Ronaldo makes honest admission after Al-Nassr suffer 5-0 loss to Celta Vigo in pre-season friendly
Cristiano Ronaldo shared his thoughts on his Instagram page after Al-Nassr were thrashed 5-0 against Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly yesterday at the Estadio Do Algarve (July 17).
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner as well as newly signed Marcelo Brozovic played the first half, which ended goalless. They were both subbed off early in the second half, which led to the floodgates being opened.
Gael Alonso broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. Jorgen Strand Larsen then scored a brilliant 13-minute hat-trick, while Miguel Rodriguez was also on the scoresheet. It was an impressive outing from Rafael Benitez's Celta Vigo side which finished 13th last season in La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. will be looking to put this loss behind them quickly. The Portugal icon was guilty of failing to give Al-Nassr the lead in the first half with his close-range header narrowly missing the target.
The 38-year-old shared his thoughts after the game by posting a defiant message on his Instagram account:
First game back for pre season! The hard work starts here!
Al-Nassr's pre-season tour continues on July 20 where the Knights of Najd are scheduled to face Benfica at home.
"I won't return to European football, you can forget about it" - Cristiano Ronaldo makes bold claim after 5-0 loss against Celta Vigo
Following Al-Nassr's 5-0 defeat against Celta Vigo last night, Cristiano Ronaldo issued a defiant statement to Portuguese reporters. The Portugal superstar claimed that he would never return to European football and that the only valid league left in Europe was the Premier League. He also added that the Saudi Pro League is superior to the MLS.
Ronaldo first aimed a dig at the MLS, where his rival Lionel Messi recently joined Inter Miami (via Indian Express):
“The Saudi league is better than MLS. They criticized me for coming to Saudi League, but what happened now? I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here."
On European football, he said:
“I won't return to European football, you can forget about it — the door is completely closed for my return. I’m 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”
“When I joined Juventus, Serie A was dead and then after I signed… it was revived. Wherever Cristiano goes he generates higher interest.”
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January on a two-and-a-half-year deal after having his contract with Manchester United terminated in November 2022. He had a stellar season individually, scoring 14 goals in 19 appearances. He will be hoping to win silverware for the Riyadh-based outfit next season after coming up short during the 2022-23 campaign.