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Can Ronaldo's presence at Al Nassr open the door to more big name signings across the Middle East?

Ronaldo

It’s fair to say that Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at the Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr has increased worldwide interest in football across the Middle East. Alongside Lionel Messi, Ronaldo is the most famous footballer in the world (fans of both can debate who is the best). So can the arrival of the five times Ballon d'Or winner at Al Nassr boost football across the whole of the region?

It certainly has to help. Without meaning any disrespect to Al Nassr, they weren’t a household name across the world before the arrival of Ronaldo. And it’s fair to say, they’re still not. But a lot more people have now heard of them than had before the Portuguese legend arrived.

Ronaldo’s presence in the Saudi Pro League will not only showcase the region as a whole, but will also show fellow players there is a pathway to forge a professional football career in the Middle East. This, in turn, could have a knock-on effect on the Persian Gulf Pro League.

Difficulties in England

Before switching to play in the Middle East, Ronaldo had been having difficulties at Manchester United. His period back in England won’t be his fondest. But it shouldn't define him either. It would also be harsh to say his time in Manchester didn’t work out because he is no longer good enough. It just looked like a clash of personalities between a player and a coach.

Before his move to Manchester, Ronaldo won Serie A with Juventus in 2019 and 2020. Already in decline, Juventus has struggled further since his departure. The bookmakers have written off Juventus this year, and in the latest Italian football betting odds, Juventus are priced at just 200/1 to win the league. Napoli is out of sight at 1/100, but Juventus are behind both Lazio (100/1) and Inter Milan (150/1) in the latest Serie A betting. This highlights the further decline at the club since Ronaldo departed and suggests he was doing plenty to help keep the club competitive whilst he was there.

The great man has still got it

He was doing plenty to keep Juventus afloat because he was still performing at a high level at the time during his time in Italy. And if anyone doubts he’s still at that level, then a look at how he’s still performing for his country should silence any doubters.

Yes, it’s a fact that Ronaldo is at the wrong end of his career. But he is still a big draw, and he would still have had a huge amount of clubs willing to take him when he left Manchester United earlier in the season. The fact that he is prepared to turn down some of Europe’s top clubs to play in Saudi Arabia proves that the league has both the finances and the credibility to attract high-standard players from across the world.

Whilst it doesn’t mean that the likes of Erling Haaland will be arriving in the Middle East anytime soon, it does open the door to veteran players at a similar stage of their careers to Ronaldo, coming to the region. In short, Ronaldo’s presence in the region is a force for good.