Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have star players but not ‘organised’, claims ex-Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic
Former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who plays for Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia, recently gave his opinion about Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, making bold claims about their lack of organization.
Rakitic notably decided to leave Sevilla during the transfer window in January this year, opting to join a host of European stars in Saudi Arabia. He had spent six years in Barcelona, before moving to Sevilla and helping them win their seventh Europa League.
After it became clear that his contract would not be extended beyond the summer of 2024, the 35-year-old decided to join Al-Shabab, following in Ronaldo's footsteps. Moreover, the likes of Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante joined Al-Ittihad, Neymar joined Al-Hilal, and Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic joined Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
After spending a few months in the Saudi Pro League, Rakitic recently discussed Cristiano Ronaldo's club, claiming they were disorganized. The former Barcelona midfielder said (via ByanNassr):
"There are clubs that have stars but are not organized, such as Al-Nassr."
During a conversation with Mics ARLS podcast, he also went into detail about what his club Al-Shabab would need to catch up to league leaders Al Hilal and second-placed Al Nassr. Rakitic said (via Saudi World Football):
“It is different to compete in 1 game against them and 30 games against them. This is the part where we have to learn from this teams like Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. This winning mentality. We have to win every game, every game is important. We should not be like there is a game in two weeks against Al-Hilal, let’s beat Al-Hilal. I prefer to win every game.”
Cristiano Ronaldo pushing for Manchester City superstar to join him at Al-Nassr
According to reports from journalist Rudy Galetti (via Football Transfers), Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing for Kevin De Bruyne to move to the Saudi Pro League. A host of players have made the switch, leaving Europe for the Middle East. However, Ronaldo is now reportedly interested in De Bruyne.
However, it won't be straightforward for the 39-year-old to convince De Bruyne to come to Al Nassr, as other clubs in Saudi are also interested in the playmaker. There are also no guarantees that he will be itching to leave the Etihad, where he has a year left on his contract.
The aforementioned report claims that the Cityzens could listen to offers of around £100 million.