Al-Nassr sporting director Marcelo Salazar has praised Cristiano Ronaldo and explained his impact on the Saudi Pro League.
Since Ronaldo moved to the Middle East last year, the Portuguese has inspired players from around the world to follow in his footsteps.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Fabinho, and Karim Benzema are some of the names that decided to make the switch to Saudi football last summer.
Despite playing at 38 years of age, Ronaldo has continued to perform at the highest level evidenced by his impressive numbers which saw the Portuguese net 54 strikes in 2023 to edge past Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane as the world’s top goalscorer.
Speaking on Ronaldo, Salazar highlighted the Portugal skipper’s influence on the club and revealed how it improved the league.
“When Cristiano accepted our offer, we saw that football has completely changed in Saudi Arabia,” Salazar told ABC Futbol.
“The moment he got here, it forced everyone to raise their standards in all aspects such as professionalism and discipline.
“We have worked a lot in the past year, to bring the club to the standards it needs and we now have a better gym, a better locker room, and better equipment. Ronaldo simply makes your team better because of his professionalism.
“From the moment they came to Saudi Arabia, his family wanted to adapt quickly, and this was important to him for a stable personal life because that would reflect on his performances on the pitch of course.
“We learned about his problems at Manchester United, and his desire to leave and we in Saudi Arabia are dreamers, so we said, ‘Why not?’”
“The first thing we cared about was his stability and his family’s. Without that, he wouldn’t have come.
“The more we talked to him, the more he learned that in Saudi Arabia, promises will not be made without actual progress.
“It has been one year since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr, during which he succeeded in scoring 54 goals and became the world’s top scorer while also achieving the Arab Club Championship last August.”