Al Nassr’s Rivals’ Boss Discredits Cristiano Ronaldo’s Top 5 League Dream, Exposing Saudi Pro League’s Greatest Flaws

“I think the Saudi league can be a top-five league in the world,” believes Cristiano Ronaldo, who is responsible for igniting the mass exodus of big names to the Gulf country. Beyond the financial perks, the Portuguese superstar chose the Middle Eastern project to elevate it to unparalleled heights. However, a rival boss of Al Nassr has taken a huge jibe at CR7’s dream, shedding light on how other Saudi Pro League clubs are ‘suffering.’ 

Damac FC coach Cosmin Contra isn’t happy regarding the situation of lower clubs of the Roshn League. Following his side’s 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Al-Ahli Saudi, Contra made a stirring claim in the post-match presser: “There are those who want the Saudi League to be one of the five best leagues in the world, and there are clubs suffering from arrears in salaries and bonuses.” 

These words from the Romanian boss are sufficient to imply that he has taunted Ronaldo’s ambition to elevate the Saudi League to new heights. However, behind the scenes, lower-tier clubs like Damac are grappling with financial issues, indicating significant economic disparities among all 18 clubs. Notably, only the top four clubs—Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al-Ahli Saudi—are financially supported by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, while the rest fend for themselves.

Perhaps greater support should be extended to other clubs. Certainly, further investigation is warranted to know the exact reasons behind the outstanding payments. Meanwhile, this is not the first instance where Ronaldo has been confronted with a reality check regarding his top 5 dreams.

Another stark reality confronts Cristiano Ronaldo in his pursuit to uplift Saudi Pro League 

Recently, the Opta Analyst released its global soccer league rankings for March 2024. To the surprise of many, the Saudi Pro League failed to secure a position in the top 10, instead landing 26th on the list of the world’s football tournaments. While Europe’s premier leagues—the English Premier League (1st), Spain’s La Liga (2nd), Italy’s Serie A (3rd), Germany’s Bundesliga (4th), and France’s Ligue 1 (5th)—maintained their expected positions, Major League Soccer unexpectedly claimed the 10th spot. 

Despite boasting talents like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets, MLS finds itself trailing behind the Belgian Pro League (6th), Portuguese Primeira Liga (7th), Danish Superligaen (8th), and Brazilian Serie A (9th) in the rankings. This revelation is quite surprising and may be attributed to various factors, including popularity. Nevertheless, it serves as another reminder to Cristiano Ronaldo of the challenges in realizing his dream of elevating the Saudi Pro League to a top 5 global status.