Cristiano Ronaldo‘s move to the Saudi Pro League has not been greeted well to this day. Having spent over two decades at the pinnacle of Europe’s domestic scene, the Portuguese superstar rather chose to spend his last days of playing in the Middle East. However, for a player who has played in four different leagues throughout his illustrious career, the Saudi Arabian league is surprisingly ‘not easy’ as well!

Aside from playing kicking the ball, Ronaldo is also running a YouTube channel, UR Cristiano, where the 39-year-old invited his former Manchester United teammate and England icon Rio Ferdinand. During the brief conversation, the former defender asked the Al Nassr star about the criticism that he faced for making the Saudi switch. Many opined that the easiness of the league and a lucrative contract were the reasons to leave Europe. Well, apparently that is not true!

“All the leagues are different in my opinion. People speak more than they really know,” Ronaldo admitted. “All the leagues have issues but the [Saudi] league, I tell you 100%…it’s not easy,” added the Portuguese skipper, insisting that other rival players and his domestic teammates will also agree over the difficulty level of the Roshn Saudi League. But what makes the competition so difficult to compete in?

Know for yourself; “It’s very difficult plus the weather, which is very hot. When it’s hot, it’s more difficult to maintain the level of the game.” Well, weather truly is one of the factors that may count as one of the disadvantages, which the 5x Ballon d’Or winner has often complained about, yet knows how to tackle the problem.

It also didn’t stop Ronaldo from taking all the credit for starting the exodus and igniting the soccer culture in the Middle East. Further expressing his confidence in the project, Ronaldo concluded, “In my opinion, the league is very, very good, and they still [need to] grow and improve. I’m happy because I was the pioneer of the country in football so I’m glad for that.”

Ronaldo praising the Saudi Pro League is certainly not the first time, often backing their ambitious project of competing with the top 5 of Europe. While the sentiment hasn’t changed in the slightest, there’s a reason why it still won’t turn out to be true.

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim, the Saudi Pro League may never flourish- here is why

Former Al Nassr sporting director Goran Vucevic pointed out the biggest challenge of being in Saudi Arabia, stating, “I don’t think the Saudi League will ever become one of the best leagues in the world, because of the weather conditions they have.” The intense heat in the Middle East remains a significant issue, with temperatures often exceeding 122°F (50°C) during the summer.

Likewise, ex-Al Nassr boss Rui Vitoria once also highlighted the severe challenges of playing in the heat. Recalling that high temperatures have always been a problem, Vitoria admitted that players were often hallucinating and losing consciousness between halves. Although Cristiano Ronaldo mentioned that he had “gotten used to” the heat, others struggled with it. Furthermore, fellow teammate Alex Telles shared his own experience: “One time in the summer, I came to the club in the morning and could not run around the field because of the temperature.”

Indeed, the weather may hinder the Saudi Pro League’s case to become the best. Playing and adjusting in such weather is definitely a challenge that many might have failed to realize. Perhaps the stance may change after Cristiano Ronaldo decided to clear the notion.