Cristiano Ronaldo said he will vent his frustrations at the end of the season over the unrelenting criticism of the Saudi Pro League that he said puts the competition in a negative light.
Several Al Ahli players complained after a defeat to Al Nassr earlier this month that Ronaldo’s team was receiving favorable treatment from referees.
Speaking after Al Nassr’s 2-0 win over Al Ahli that kept Ronaldo’s side on course to lift the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo said of the criticism: “I think this is not good for the league. Everyone complains. This is football, this is not a war. We know we have to fight, everyone wants to win. But not everything is allowed.”
Ronaldo expanded on his remarks but plans to go into even more detail.
“I am going to speak at the end of the season because I’ve seen many, many bad things,” he said.
“Many players have complained, doing posts on Instagram, on Facebook, speaking about the referees, speaking about the league, speaking about the project. This is not good. This is not the goal of the league.
“We should give an example, not only here but also for Europe, that we want to compete with them to be one of the best leagues in the world. But like that, I think we should analyze but stop that [criticism] … because for me, this is not football.”
– How Mbappé’s first 100 Real Madrid games compare to Ronaldo, Benzema, more
– Could Cristiano Jr. play with Ronaldo? It wouldn’t be soccer’s first father-son pairing
Ronaldo, 41, said he will explain why he boycotted two Saudi Pro League games earlier this year.
His protest came after rivals Al Hilal strengthened their squad by signing former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad in the winter transfer window.
“It’s been a difficult season, not just on the pitch but off it,” Ronaldo said on Wednesday. “We know the power that other teams have but I will have the opportunity to speak at the end of the season.”
Despite his frustrations, Ronaldo is looking forward to helping Al Nassr win their first title since 2019 and his first since joining the club in December 2022.
“The fight [for the league title] is going to be until the end,” the Portugal captain said. “This was a very difficult game. We knew we were going to play one of the most difficult teams in the league.”
Ronaldo, 41, has brought more attention to the league than it has ever had. During his post-game interview, he was shown a video of a young fan celebrating and was then asked about his legacy.
Ronaldo said: “For me it’s an honour, that’s why I continue to play, not just for this present generation but for the previous one and the ones to come. I try to enjoy it, day by day, game after game, year after year because the end of this career is approaching that’s a fact.
“The career I’ve had has been brilliant and keeps going. The most important thing for me is to continue. I continue to enjoy it, to score goals. But the most important thing is to win. We really want to win the league.”
Not even Al Ahli defender and his former Juventus teammate Merih Demiral pointing out to Ronaldo after Wednesday’s game that Al Ahli had won two Asian Champions League titles, could take the smile away from the veteran forward, who replied: “Five Champions [League titles], I have! I have five!”
Al Nassr have four league games remaining and are eight points clear of Al Hilal, who have a game in hand.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, now has 970 career goals after scoring the opener on Wednesday.
