– I want to finish my career at the highest level. I want to say goodbye with dignity, so in a good club. Not in the US, Qatar or Dubai. “It doesn’t mean that the game is bad there, but I don’t see myself there,” said Cristiano Ronaldo in 2015. Theses He reiterated in an interview with Piers Morgan, just before the World Cup.
“I have a feeling that if it was all about the money, you’d be in Saudi Arabia right now, on a royal salary. That’s not what motivates you because you want to stay on top,” Morgan asked. The Portuguese replied, “Exactly.” We discovered how little it is to miscalculate in talking about yourself and your plans and redefining the meaning of the word “summit” in the following month.
He sat on holidays and watched the Saudi League. “she’s strong”
At the end of December Ronaldo He was already a player in Al-Nassr. The name of the club subsequently became one of the most frequently entered teams in search engines almost all over the world. “Where is he from” or “What is this league” has been checked by netizens. Ronaldo may also have had to check a few things beforehand. At the press conference in Riyadh, already as a player, Al Nasr shone with knowledge. “The league here is very equal and strong. People don’t know it, but I know because I’ve watched a lot of matches.
He has never watched a single match in his life league Saudi Arabia – Ex-Liverpool footballer Jose Enrique’s reaction. He could not believe that Ronaldo, during the World Cup or the World Cup, when conducting transfer talks, followed the confrontation at the head of Al-Nassr with Al-Hilal or re-exchanged blows in the fall with Damac Football Club.
In the face of such a well-documented homework of Ronaldo, a minor mistake at the same conference could be overlooked. Then the player stated that moving to South Africa does not mean the end of his career. he might saySouth Africa” instead of “Saudi Arabia” was a slip of the tongue, Although he praised his new employer, whom he claimed to know well, he appeared comical.
into Arabic to help soccer players
Why did Ronaldo end up in the Saudi League? Record his arguments: Because he’s already won everything in Europe, because it’s time to take on new challenges in an underrated league, because he wants to change the perception of Arab football and the country itself, and let’s quote it literally, “It’s also about helping the development of women’s football, which is so popular.” in KSA “. Among these more important arguments, the question of the importance of the contract for 200 million euros per season, has faded slightly. “The contract is special, but I am a special player,” he said. Ronaldo emphasized that he wants to play because he enjoys it, and the decision matters Transfer He took after careful analysis, because there was a long line for him. He revealed that he had received offers from Europe, but also from Brazil, Australia, the United States and his native Portugal. Perhaps it is in part, although we haven’t discovered the most interesting. What clubs can apply for the Portuguese? Someone showed up. Brazil president Corinthians Paulista admitted in a recent interview that he made an offer for the player and offered a contract similar to the one he had at Manchester United, but it was an offer. 20 times worse than the Saudi offer.
This is what his hit song looks like from Ronaldo’s point of view. What could it really look like? You can guess by remembering some facts and media reports. Recently, the Portuguese can watch the best matches in Europe from the perspective of the stands or the bench. In Manchester this season, he was a substitute, coming on at the end of matches. Scored one goal in 10 matches. He did not accept that he, the great Ronaldo, could only be a back-up. argue with Passenger coachEric and Hague, only getting more bitter. Even before the start of the season, Ronaldo was upset that he was only sixth in the Premier League and would miss the Champions League. The first time in 19 years. And this is his competition, as he is considered the most effective player (141 goals), seven times top scorer and record holder in several other categories. During the holidays, Ronaldo hoped to change the club and finally play in the Champions League, and offers would come from all sides. and what? None of the strongest teams either simply wanted the 37-year-old or shunned him due to an excessive contract. It must have been the first sad moment for Ronaldo, who realized that a big change was taking place in the world of football, and that at the moment he would not be able to shine among the best. Then came the World Cup and things got worse. The opportunity for all the doubters to show their mettle and return to the elite in the January transfer window has been missed. The world around him was bad. After the group stage, CR7 became the reserve team. In his opinion, coach Fernando Santos erred like United coach. Additionally, Portugal ended their World Cup adventure in the quarter-finals, losing to Morocco.
‘Heavy burden for everyone’
Ronaldo pushed himself to forget about football, as well as his behavior. The Portuguese “A Bola” even stated that the striker wanted to pack his bags and leave the team when he found out that he would be a substitute in the play-off stage of the World Cup. Journalists reported, “He threatened to leave.” This situation was not surprising. Twice this season, coach Erik ten Hag has watched his player, nervous about playing a supporting role, run away from a match in Manchester before the final whistle. During a sparring match vs Rayo Vallecano He was off the field in the second half. He also did not make it to the end of the league match with Tottenham. The most ridiculous thing is that he refused to go to the field. Then he got a huge fine and was transferred to the reserves. After this situation, he gives the aforementioned interview with Piers Morgan, in which he hits the club, and states that he hasn’t made any progress in several years, that the current coach “doesn’t respect him, because he also doesn’t respect him”, and the previous coach “wasn’t even a coach.” Younger colleagues got it too. and he? After all, Manchester – his former club – chose from dozens of offers and wanted to bring them to the top. But everyone was in the way. It was an ugly media game to part so quickly with the club by mutual consent. However, it is strange that no one realized the Portuguese that he was shooting himself in the foot with this dirty game. publicly He later commented on the entire circus, among others: Fabio Capello.
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“What Ronaldo has achieved in his career is no excuse. Now he has become arrogant, he goes around in circles to be taken with no one to believe in him. He will be a heavy burden on any team that sign him,” said the former Italy coach. There was also something to do with this trip throughout. CR7 even asked the Real Madrid authorities to let him train at their training center in Valdebebas. Perhaps the Portuguese was hoping for something more? When it became clear at the end of December that Capello had correctly diagnosed European indecision towards the Portuguese, the only way out was The struggle for a record contract in Arabia, which was accompanied by the adoration of fans and local activists.
The style that hit the fan and ran away from the match
In the situation of the conspiracies plotted by the striker and his attitude towards the coaches or Manchester United himself, the words of the president of Al-Nasr sounded sarcastic that Ronaldo is “a role model for all athletes and youth around the world.” More recently, Ronaldo has been a symbol of not just shoes, but even arrogance, emotional turmoil, an inflated ego, and maybe even insolence. Perhaps in the Arab world, which does not tolerate dissent, settles everything with the power of money and imposes its own rules, Ronaldo will find his place to the fullest. Here he will hear only applause, and no one will ask him uncomfortable questions, because even his first conference with journalists was a radio play, not an exchange of opinions. Here, every goal scored on the field, even against teams that almost no one outside Arabia knows, will be counted as a slam dunk in the Euro final. So what if Ronaldo plays in a facility similar in size to the Bialystok stadium (even if it is a bit similar due to the color of the seats), because 24,000 fans can enter the KSU stadium. Santiago Bernabeu (81,000 seats) or Old Trafford (76,000) will be a distant memory.
Just like playing with the best midfielders or strikers in the world. The trio of Benzema, Bale and Cristiano or exchanges with Morata and Cuadrado, and even playing with Sancho, Rashford or Mata, will now be replaced by actions conducted with the Saudi star or Jalolidini Masharibov (Uzbekistan). Ronaldo will also face new challenges, but some records will not be broken in the coming years. Unless the ambitious Portuguese will stay at the club for at least a few years. Such a few years of playing in the Arab League can be rewarded with, among other things, scoring the most goals in the history of the Saudi Professional League (currently 189 goals) or the most goals in the history of the AFC Champions League (43), if Al-Nassr qualify for it. It would be a little easier to beat these games’ season records. The first league is 34 goals, in the AFC you have to score 13 goals. Remember, Ronaldo has a contract for 2.5 years. No one will praise the goals of the Portuguese in the old continent, because European TV broadcasters do not present the Saudi Professional League. The access to the domestic Champions League is a bit better.
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But to break records, you need to play. At the moment, the Saudis, as in Manchester, have a problem with this. This is another absurdity, because Ronaldo himself probably did not know that he had no opportunity to play at the moment – he expects me to play tomorrow, – he said at his first conference. Meanwhile, the player has been banned for two matches in the Premier League for striking admirer Everton (about a role model for Saudi youth). This penalty applies even after the transfer. That’s fine, because Victory was in trouble right now anyway. exceeded Reduction of aliens in the frame, so he was unable to score his star. Therefore, the club authorities had to consider selling one of the players or terminating the contract. Stop at the last. Even if everything is moving fast in December, the whole thing doesn’t seem serious. Like the Saudis bought a goldfish, but forgot to buy an aquarium for it.
Another version of Ronaldo’s inability to play was given by investigative journalist Roman Molina. In his opinion, Al-Nasr could not register new players due to the FIFA sanctions imposed due to the clubs’ debts. The debt is said to have quickly disappeared, but it remains uncertain when the Portuguese will be able to step onto the pitch. Maybe January 22nd. However, the stands and seats in the riad are very comfortable. There you feel that you are sitting on the money.
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