“I am not a star but I play in a star team” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate makes honest admission about playing for Saudi giants
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate Otavio has stated that he doesn't think he is a star player, even though he plays in a 'star team'.
Otavio signed for the Saudi Pro League club from Porto this summer for a fee of €60 million. He made a big name for himself in Europe during his nine years on Porto's books, registering 31 goals and 75 assists in 283 senior games for them.
The 28-year-old is now plying his trade in Riyadh, where he has scored three goals in 18 games across competitions. He is one of the many big-name players who have swapped European football for the SPL in the last 12 months.
One can argue that Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr in January was a watershed event in the league's modern history. It has since become one of the major players in the global transfer market and houses some of the most famous names in world football.
Otavio, however, doesn't believe he is one of those superstar names playing in Saudi Arabia. The versatile midfielder nevertheless thinks he is playing for a 'star' team. He recently told reporters (h/t @Ali_alabdallh on X):
"I am not a star, but I am in a star team and I am not afraid of injury. I play for the team and victory is not affected by injuries. (Translated from Arabic to English, via Google)."
Otavio may disagree with that label, but he was one of the several stars Al-Nassr brought in this summer. Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Aymeic Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles were the other stars who followed in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps to the AL-AWWAL PARK Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr tops AFC Champions League group
Cristiano Ronaldo started for Al-Nassr as they welcomed Persepolis in Riyadh on Monday (27 November).
Ali Mohammed Lajami's red card reduced the hosts to 10 men after just 17 minutes but they held on to secure an important point. The draw means that Luis Castro's side secured the top position in their AFC Champions League group with a game to spare.
They now have 13 points from five matches — five ahead of Persepolis, who sit in second. Despite being a man down, Al-Nassr kept 51% possession against the Iranian side but only managed one shot on target.
The visitors, meanwhile, had four attempts on target but failed to make any of them count. Ronaldo, who has three goals and an assist in the competition this season, was taken off in the 78th minute.