The Ronaldo Effect: Cristiano Ronaldo Thinks He is the Reason Neymar, Benzema, and Mane Came to the Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed his role in blazing the trail to the Saudi Pro League that other marquee names in world football, like Neymar, Benzema, and Mane, have followed in the just concluded transfer window.
The Portugal captain shocked the world when he agreed a deal to move from Manchester United to Al-Nassr in the previous window. This move concluded the 38-year-old’s storied and highly successful career in European football.
Fast forward to this summer and the just concluded transfer window, Ronaldo’s move does not seem like an audacious or even risky move. Instead, many superstars have followed the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward to the Saudi Pro League.
The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient has said several times that he opened the doors for many of these footballers to move to the oil-rich nation and ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League.
Given the calibre of players that made their way to the Saudi Pro League this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo has underscored his role in reshaping the narrative regarding Saudi Arabia’s football and the value of making this move.
Ronaldo’s views are widely accepted in the mainstream. A player of his calibre moving to the Saudi Pro League was enough to change many people’s minds regarding the Saudi Pro League, setting the stage for the summer of transfers just concluded.
