“The players thought at first that it was a one-man show” – Mourinho offers opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo move to Saudi Arabia
PpFormer Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has offered his take on how his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo's move to the Saudi Pro League opened up new vistas for top European players.
In a trailblazing move of sorts, Ronaldo - widely regarded as one of the game's best players - left European shares to join Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr in December.
The move was initially dismissed by many who reckoned Ronaldo was looking to wind down his career in a lesser league, as he was no longer good enough to continue his Europe. However, that has hardly been the case, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has sparked an exodus of top European talent to the Kingdom.
The likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Marcelo Brozovic and Sergej-Milinkovic Savic have all left Europe this summer to embark on a new adventure in Saudi Arabia.
Current AS Roma boss Mourinho told MBC Egypt TV Channel that Ronaldo's arrival sparked an influx of top European talent to:
“Cristiano was the first to go there and give a different perspective immediately. The players thought at first that it was a one-man show, but they realised in the summer that everything was really changing.
“Many players, not just in the last period of their careers, but also some players at the best years of their careers, are coming because the competition is real, not just at domestic League, but also the AFC Champions League is very interesting,”
About his own ambitions, Mourinho said that he will head there some day but didn't commit any time frame for the same:
“I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there. I don’t know when, but I am pretty sure of it.”
“I am committed to my work with Roma, and I want to give everything to the club until the last day. No one knows the future, but I will definitely do this. Doors are always open for me in Saudi Arabia. I want to feel the development there.”
Ronaldo has been in good form for Al-Nassr, bagging 25 goals and eight assists in 30 games across competitions. That includes 11 goals and six assists in 11 games across competitions this term.
How Cristiano Ronaldo fared under Jose Mourinho
Cristiano Ronaldo was at his imperious and explosive best under Jose Mourinho in three hugely successful seasons at Real Madrid - 2010-11 to 2012-13. Although the partnership didn't yield Los Blancos' much-coveted La Decima, it saw their all-time top scorer score goals for fun at a staggering rate.
In 164 games across competitions, the 38-year-old blazed his way to 168 goals and 49 assists, including 120 goals in 106 La Liga games across three seasons. The Portuguese also scored 28 goals in 34 UEFA Champions League games.
Cristiano Ronaldo's best season under his compatriot came in the 2011-12 season, bagging 60 goals and 17 assists in 55 games across competitions. Los Blancos won the La Liga title that season and also reached the Champions League semifinals.