Cristiano Ronaldo left Europe for the first time in his career last December to sign for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and he’s put an end to speculation that he could return
Cristiano Ronaldo is committed to Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he won’t be returning to Europe, where he claims the football has “lost of a lot of quality.”
The Portuguese megastar, 38, joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr last December, boosting the league’s global appeal and ushering in a wave of big-name players such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino. But some of Ronaldo’s fans still dream of a return to Europe, where he spent the first two decades of his career with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
However, Ronaldo is committed to earning the big bucks in the Middle East and says that the door back to European football is “completely closed.” “I’m 100 per cent sure I won’t return to any European club,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner confirmed.
“I opened the way to the Saudi league and now all the players are coming here. I won’t return to European football, the door is completely closed.”
Ronaldo then went on to claim that all of the top leagues in Europe have witnessed a decline in recent years, apart from the Premier League. “European football has lost a lot of quality,” the 38-year-old added. “The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League.”
“The Spanish league does not have that great quality. The Portuguese league is a good league, but it is not a top, top league. The German league I think has also lost a lot. I’m sure I won’t play in Europe again. I want to play in Saudi Arabia.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo says that he won’t be coming back to Europe and wants to stay with Al-Nassr (
Image:
Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Ronaldo was speaking as Al-Nassr were smashed 5-0 by Spainish side Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly. The former Man United hero played the first half, which ended goalless, before fielding questions from the media in Portugal.
Taking credit for the Saudi Pro League’s rise to prominence, Ronaldo went on to say: “My decision to go to Saudi was 100 per cent crucial for clubs to bring in new top players. It’s a fact.
“It was going to take a year, but it was six months. I was wrong for six months. But I knew this was going to happen because in the Italian league, when I went there, it was also dead and then rejuvenated.
“Where Cristiano goes, it generates greater interest and I knew it was going to be like that. I’m sure that next season more stars will go there [to Saudi Arabia].” He added: “In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league.”
