“When Cristiano Ronaldo accepted Al Nassr’s offer, football completely changed in Saudi Arabia" - Club director hails Portugal captain's courage
Al Nassr’s executive director Marcelo Salazar has praised Cristiano Ronaldo for making the move to Saudi Arabia last January.
The Portuguese icon became the first big European name to join the Saudi Pro League (SPL) after having his contract mutually terminated at Manchester United. Several stars, including Karim Benzema, Neymar, N'Golo Kante, and Jordan Henderson, followed in Ronaldo's footsteps in moving to SPL outfits.
Commenting on the 38-year-old striker's move to Al-Nassr and his impact on the league, Salazar said (via @CristianoXtra):
"Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr was a courageous and pivotal decision for change within the club in particular and Saudi football in general. From the moment he came to Saudi Arabia, he and his family wanted to adapt quickly, and this was important to him."
"The first thing we were keen on was his stability with his family, and without that, he would not have come."
He added:
"When he accepted Al Nassr’s offer, we saw that football completely changed in Saudi Arabia. We learned about his difficult time at Man Utd, and his desire to leave, and we in Saudi Arabia are dreamers, so we said why not sign him?"
Ronaldo completed his transfer after enduring a disappointing second spell at Old Trafford. In the 2022-23 season, he scored just one goal in 10 Premier League appearances.
However, the former Juventus man has been on fire for Al-Nassr. He's bagged 38 goals and assisted 13 across competitions from 44 matches.
Vinicius Junior dedicates celebration to idol Cristiano Ronaldo in Supercopa win
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior pulled out the "Siuuu" celebration after scoring his first of three goals in the 4-1 Supercopa final win against Supercopa (January 14).
He dedicated the celebration to Cristiano Ronaldo, who enjoyed the best spell of his career at Santiago Bernabeu. The attacker scored 450 goals from 438 appearances across competitions, winning La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League four times.
Vinicius said after Sunday's final (via GOAL):
"The celebration was for Cris because he's my idol, and now he is playing here. The people in Saudi Arabia have a special love for me, I am very happy for what we did today. To beat Barcelona 4-1 is very hard and today we had an almost perfect game."
The Brazilian winger has scored nine goals and assisted four across competitions in 16 matches this season. Overall, he's played 241 matches for Los Blancos, bagging 68 goals and as many assists.