A year and a half after its sensational arrival in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo came back, during a discussion with Rio Ferdinand published on his YouTube channelon this moment that shocked the football world at the time. The Portuguese notably mentioned the difficulties he encountered in adapting to this country that he was discovering. And spoiler: he had none.
« My life is full of challenges. I left home at 11 to live in a big city. I went from Madeira to Lisbon, then I did England, Spain, Italy, and I came back to England. It’s not a problem for me, it’s part of my life. To be completely honest, it was very easy. You can talk about religion or the climate, but no country is perfect, everyone has their problems. Here, there are fantastic things, I’m really happy for my family and myself. It’s a beautiful country. »
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner then returned to the criticisms that are often made about the Saudi Pro League, in particular the level that many consider to be low: ” All championships are different. People talk about what they don’t know. Every championship has its problems, but I can assure you that it is not easy. With the temperature, it is very hot. It is more difficult to maintain your level. The championship is good, it continues to improve. I am proud to have been the forerunner. »
Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo also spoke about the pressure he felt about starting this big wave of visits to Saudi Arabia. And here’s another spoiler: he didn’t feel any: ” For me, the ones who can feel the pressure are the people who are at war, who don’t have enough to eat, who have to live with the sound of gunfire night and day. That’s the real pressure. I’m free here. Where I play, I show who I am. I knew that would be the case here too and I knew that other players would follow me and that I would change football. »
