UK broadcaster secures Saudi Pro League TV rights ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo vs Steven Gerrard showdown
DAZN has secured the rights to broadcast the Saudi Pro League in the United Kingdom, with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr set to lock horns with Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in the opening matchday of the season.
Since Ronaldo joined SPL club Al-Nassr as a free agent on December 31, 2022, the league has become immensely popular across the globe. Last season, popular broadcasting company Sky Sports had the rights to bring it to viewers in the UK.
Dazn has now penned a deal to broadcast the forthcoming campaign, and apart from the UK, they will also bring the matches to the viewers in Germany and Austria.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr finished as the runner-up in the Saudi Pro League last season with Jeddah-based team Al-Ittihad winning the competition. Al-Alamy have since brought in global superstars like Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles and Sadio Mane to the team.
Al-Ettifaq, who finished seventh last season, have appointed Steven Gerrard as their new manager and Jordan Henderson has also signed for the club. Apart from that, several household names like Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Kouliabaly, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Eduardo Mendy, Ruben Neves, Riyad Mahrez, and more have also joined several clubs of the SPL.
With the arrivals of a host of superstar names, the SPL is expected to get more competitive during the 2023-24 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has found his touch in front of the goal
Cristiano Ronaldo has once again found his golden touch in front of the goal. The Al-Nassr captain has scored in two consecutive matches against Zamalek and Raja CA in the ongoing Arab Cup of Champions.
Against Moroccan club Raja Casablanca, Ronaldo scored with a scorching left-footed strike from outside the penalty area. Luis Castro's team registered a 3-1 win in the game, with Sultan Al-Ghannam and Seko Fofana being the scorer of the other two goals.
Ronaldo reacted to the win, writing on social media:
"Into the semi-finals!💪🏼 Great feeling to keep scoring and helping the team to move forward in the competition!⚽️💛💙".
Al-Alamy are set to take on Al-Shorta in the semi-finals of the Arab Cup of Champions next on August 9. Ronaldo, who has already scored 17 goals and provided two assists in 23 matches for the Riyadh-based club, will once again be the team's main protagonist in the attack.