"Happy to have the best players in history with us" - Al-Nassr's new coach gives his take on working with Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro has opened up about what it is like to work with the magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo.
Castro only took charge of the Saudi Pro League outfit on July 6. The former Porto manager spoke about his initial feelings about joining the team and working with the players.
He said (via Record):
"We are in a construction process. The team is waiting for some units to be completed. The first sensations are good, with the players very available for work. It is normal at this stage of the season. The conditions are great to develop the work."
The Portuguese also gets the opportunity to work with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Al-Nassr in January this year after leaving Manchester United in November 2022.
"We are happy to have the best players in history with us. It is always a reason to be happy to have the opportunity to work with him and he is an inspiration to many of our colleagues on a daily basis. It is a responsibility for all of us to fight to achieve our goals and he is clearly the reference of the team," he added while speaking about the Portugal icon.
Ronaldo has made 19 appearances for Al-Nassr, scoring 14 goals and providing two assists across all competitions. The former Juventus forward missed out on winning the league title in his debut season, as Al-Nassr finished second behind Al-Ittihad.
Cristiano Ronaldo claims Saudi Pro League can become one of the top 5 leagues in the world
In an interview with the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo stated that the competition could become one of the top five leagues in the world.
With stars like Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, N'Golo Kante, and Marcelo Brozovic joining the tournament in the coming season, Ronaldo could have a point.
He said (via BBC Sport):
"If they are coming, big players and big names, young players, 'old players', they are very welcome because if that happens, the league will improve a little bit."
He added:
"We have very good teams, very good Arab players. But they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure. Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker."
The Saudi Pro League clubs continue to make remarkable acquisitions from Europe. Thomas Partey, Wilfried Zaha, and Romelu Lukaku, among others, are also linked with moves to Saudi Arabia (via ESPN).