Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about adapting to Saudi Arabia after having moved to Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in January.
The Portuguese soccer star left Manchester United in December following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan bashing the club. He then joined Saudi club Pro League club Al Nassr in January for a record 200 million dollar contract.
He was great for the club, having scored 14 goals in just 17 games. But unfortunately, he couldn’t manage to win the league or any trophy in his first season with the Saudi club.
Cristiano Ronaldo opens up about adapting to the extreme Saudi environment
Ronaldo has now opened up and talked about having to adapt to the country since his arrival. The 38-year-old had some trouble adapting to the scorching Saudi heat prevalent in the desert country. The country regularly sees temperatures of 40 degrees during the day.
This is a stark contrast to the usually colder temperatures prevalent in Europe, having played there all his life.
Most training sessions in the country are therefore held in the evening to avoid training in the high temperatures. This is obviously different from Europe, where they hold the sessions in the morning.
In an interview with LiveScore, where he is an ambassador, he spoke about the change in scenery. He admitted to finding the hot environment difficult and said he has adapted already.
“The biggest difference I have found in Saudi is obviously the heat and adapting schedules to train later in the day when it is cooler. But I have really gotten used to that now.”
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— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) June 14, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo:
Adaptation to Saudi Arabia:
"The biggest difference I found in Saudi Arabia was, obviously, the heat and the adaptation of the schedules to train later in the day, when it is cooler. But now, I'm very used to it." pic.twitter.com/TzpFb18lcb
He also spoke about the reception he found in the country and how he has performed well in every league.
“The fans here have been incredible to me, welcoming me, and those that follow me to continue on this amazing journey. Every league and country is different and I am very proud to have experienced three different leagues in Europe and won titles in them all.”
More stars joining the Saudi League
After Ronaldo joined the club, the Saudi League received widespread recognition and coverage around the world. And now two more stars have joined the league.
His old teammate from Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, has joined Al Ittihad on a similar contract along with Chelsea star N’golo Kante.
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Ronaldo also spoke regarding the incoming arrivals of both.
“It hasn’t surprised me but it makes me really happy to see people all across the world now watching the Saudi Pro League. I believe the league will continue to develop and many more players from European leagues will come here to play.”
According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Saudi league is planning the transfer of seven more top players from Europe.
The players are Sergio Busquets, N’Golo Kante, Iago Aspas, Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The other one was Lionel Messi, who was offered a $500 million contract by Al Hilal. But the Argentine has instead chosen to represent Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
As the season is over, Ronaldo has returned to action with Portugal, where is still playing as the captain. Portugal will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday and then Iceland next Wednesday.
