Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Colleague Exposes Harsh Playing Conditions in Saudi Arabia – “Could Not Run Around The Field”

Saudi Arabia has managed to achieve the unbelievable in the last few months. The country has become one of the hubs for the beautiful sport of soccer, despite gaining a lot of criticism for luring players with lucrative offers. But now there seems to be a bigger problem for the Saudi Pro League to address. After spending $957 million on transfers, the playing conditions seem to be a problem for one of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s colleagues. Months after the legend himself spoke about ‘adapting schedules‘, Alex Telles complained about the temperature.

It has been one of the most thrilling journeys for the Saudi Pro League since acquiring the biggest soccer stars. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, the league has become home to players like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, and many others. However, the issue of severe playing conditions can impact the experience and even the morale of an entire team.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate complains about Saudi summer weather, surprisingly this wasn’t the first time!

The transition from Europe to the Gulf can be daunting. Especially from June to August, when the sun starts to rage with temperatures hitting the late 110-degree F mark. That was a major challenge for the Brazilian player, Alex Telles. The player claimed that he wasn’t even able to take a round in the park because of the heat. Telles stated, “One time in the summer, I came to the club in the morning and could not run around the field because of the temperature“. Telles arrived in Riyadh for an approximate fee of $9 million for a duration of two years. The star still has a long journey with the club and can expect two more summers. So, what’s the solution?

 The country can provide indoor stadiums to play in, but accommodating so many teams and games can prove very heavy. Alex Telles is not the only one who has complained. Even the main influence behind his move from Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, struggled with the heat early on. CR7 told LiveScore, “The biggest difference I have found in Saudi is obviously the heat and adapting schedules to train later in the day when it is cooler.” But still, the Portuguese captain overcame the challenge to score 54 goals last year.

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On the other hand, the Saudi authorities are trying to figure a way out. The country will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and is already looking for solutions to this problem. The country’s sports minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, once said, “I don’t know, to be honest. Definitely, we are studying both options to see which is the best option to host the World Cup.”

Saudi could go the Qatar way with in-stadium air coolers used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Keeping the long-term World Cup chatter aside, Al Nassr and Telles will be looking forward to the rest of the season. The team is in quest of multiple titles this year.

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