Ex-Al Nassr Star Has ‘Respect’ for Cristiano Ronaldo Despite Blasting Club Over Wrong Transfers

Cristiano Ronaldo was no less than a dream acquisition for the Saudi Pro League. Forget the fan frenzy; even opposition players were excited at the thought of sharing the pitch with the Portuguese. Perhaps, lucky are his teammates, who get to spend the whole day with CR7. Reflecting this sentiment is one of his former teammates, who, despite candidly expressing that ‘no one is worth investing’ in Al Nassr, termed Ronaldo a ‘great person.’

Jaloliddin Masharipov is the newest addition to the Ronaldo fan bandwagon. The Uzbekistan attacker has openly expressed his admiration for the 38-year-old, highlighting Ronaldo’s qualities as a great teammate during their time together at the Riyadh-based club. Speaking in an interview, he said, “I respect Cristiano Ronaldo a lot, he is a great person on and off the field.” Masharipov revealed that Ronaldo also reciprocated the efforts, with the skipper fighting tooth and nail against former coach Rudi Garcia to give the left winger his deserved minutes. 

While revealing that all players love to take pictures with Ronaldo, the attacker added, “He spoke to Rudi Garcia previously that I deserve to play as a starter.” Notably, Masharipov joined the Knights of the Najd in 2021 from his nation’s domestic side, Pakhtakor. However, within 10 days after his arrival, he was sent on loan to the UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli. Having impressed with 3 goals and 10 assists in Dubai, he returned to Riyadh for the 21/22 campaign, notching 2 goals and 5 assists in over 26 appearances. 

In the subsequent season, he went down the pecking order, forcing him to break up with Ronaldo and Co. for something better. The attacker was signed by the Greek side Panserraikos in the summer of 2023. This explains Masharipov’s anger at Al Nassr’s transfer policy. 

Jaloliddin Masharipov claims Cristiano Ronaldo and David Ospina are the only worthy investments of Al Nassr

In a similar interview, Jaloliddin Masharipov didn’t hold back his criticism of his former side. “Al-Nassr did not do a good transfer market. I think they focused only on the names. Unlike Al Hilal, which had an excellent transfer market. In Al-Nassr, frankly, no one is worth investing in, except for Cristiano Ronaldo and Ospina,” he said. 

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo Set to Lead Al Nassr to Break Guinness World Record in China: Reports

After Ronaldo, Al Nassr made many notable signings including the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, Aymeric Laporte, Sadio Mane, and Otavio. However, these names seemed pointless to Masharipov, who rather went on to praise his ex-arch rivals and Neymar’s domestic side. Either way, these bold claims must have brought discontent to Luis Castro’s side. 

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