“They Have a Lot of Experience” – Playing in Saudi League Does Not Hinder Cristiano Ronaldo & Ruben Neves, Asserts Roberto Martinez

Not so long ago, the Saudi Pro League was in oblivion. Now, they are the new kid on the block, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr, and a subsequent exodus of European stars. Even so, playing outside of Europe is still considered detrimental to a player’s career, citing less competition. Since the Portugal national team’s captain, and dependable midfielder Ruben Neves now partake in the Saudi League, some worry if their quality has come down. But not the Portuguese boss Roberto Martinez. Rather, he thinks Saudi League is competitive enough to ‘become a top six league soon.’

Only time will tell if Martinez’s prediction was right. But there is no doubt that a switch to Saudi League has hindered Ronaldo’s quality. Instead, the world is seeing the 38-year-old veteran in his beast mode. CR7 ended 2023 as the world’s top goal-scorer with 34 goals.

Martinez does not see any drop in Cristiano Ronaldo’s quality and lauds Saudi League

In a recent interview, Roberto Martinez was asked if playing in Saudi has hindered the qualities of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruben Neves. “No, this is a league that has the potential to become a top six league very soon. Because they are putting the structure right and they have a lot of experience behind the league and the clubs are bringing in the best players,” said Martinez in response. The Portuguese boss’ response is not surprising. Martinez has in fact, re-iterated what he had told earlier.

He told that, Ronaldo, Otavio, and Neves’ experience in the Saudi League will be helpful for them to play at a high level in the Portugal national team. We cannot be sure if it is the Saudi League experiences that helped them up their ante in the Portugal team. But the team has been having a trail-blazing run lately under Cristiano Ronaldo’s captaincy.

Portuguese players in Saudi have surely upped their ante

Ronaldo’s 54 goals in 2023 speak volumes on whether his quality has come down or not. Ruben Neves, on the other hand, has been dominating Al Hilal’s midfield from the defensive end. He switches to offensive mode when needed, provides assists, and even scores goals. Meanwhile, he always has an eye on the team’s defense, aiding the defenders from midfield to thwart rivals’ attempts on goal. Even the mighty Ronaldo’s Al Nassr failed to net a single goal against Al Hilal.

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Meanwhile, the Portuguese team is on a dream run. They won 10 out of 10 matches in last year’s UEFA Euro qualifiers. Both CR7 and Neves were instrumental to Roberto Martinez’s side during that campaign. Anyhow, the forthcoming UEFA Euro will truly determine, if a Saudi switch has impacted these Portugal stars negatively. Until then, they are having the times of their lives, both in Portugal and Saudi.

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