‘Disrespectful’—Real Madrid Legend Appalled at Cristiano Ronaldo Treatment

Trouble brewed as soon as Karim Benzema joined Al Nassr’s rivals Al Hilal.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with an exit from Saudi Arabia. | Waleed Zein/Anadolu/Getty Images

Legendary former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has jumped to the defense of Cristiano Ronaldo over his recent feud with the Saudi Pro League, insisting his former teammate has been “disrespected” by the recent saga.

Ronaldo recently called off a two-game boycott of Al Nassr matches in protest of the club’s recent business, voicing disappointment towards a lack of transfers, reorganization of the hierarchy above him and, per reports, unpaid wages to staff and players.

It has done little to end the uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo’s future, and Kroos gleefully warned the Saudi Pro League that losing the 41-year-old would effectively bring about the end of the league on a global scale.

“The Saudi league is a strange phenomenon,” he told his podcast, Einfach mal Luppen. “Nobody had heard of it before Cristiano Ronaldo arrived, and now they’re disrespecting the man who put them on the world map.

“If Cristiano leaves tomorrow, this league will lose all its charm. Without Ronaldo, nobody would watch the Saudi league.”

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Long-Term Future Remains in Considerable Doubt

Ronaldo will need to see more from Al Nassr. | FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

Among the moves made to appease Ronaldo was the restoration of powers to sporting director Simão Coutinho and chief executive José Semedo, hired on Ronaldo’s request but stripped of their transfer authority before an underwhelming January window.

The pair are back in positions of influence, but the reality is their impact will only be seen once the summer transfer window opens and Al Nassr once again get the chance to lure Europe’s biggest names over to the Middle East.

Saudi officials will be well aware of the need to sign players to keep Ronaldo satisfied, but the reality is they will have known that already. Their decision not to bolster the squad during the January window was surprising and is unlikely to be repeated, given the extent of Ronaldo’s frustrations.

If Al Nassr do go big this summer, that may be all Ronaldo needs to commit the rest of his career to the team—but he will have high expectations that will need to be met to avoid fresh concerns over his future.

Given this is Ronaldo we’re talking about, there will never be a shortage of interested suitors. There are admirers in Europe and MLS has been touted as an ambitious destination, while the emergence of another obscure source of wealth can never be discounted these days.

If the money keeps flowing, for both him and those around him, Ronaldo appears satisfied.

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The Big Names Who Could Replace Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah is a dream target. | Steven Halliwell/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The departure of Ronaldo would undoubtedly come as an enormous blow to the Saudi Pro League, given his status as one of the most influential people on the planet. If they did lose him, league officials would need to replace him.

How many players operate on Ronaldo’s commercial level? Outside of Lionel Messi and maybe Kylian Mbappé, very few, but there are still a number of undisputed superstars who would keep eyes on the league.

Reports have named Mohamed Salah and Vinicius Junior as dream targets, while Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is another to have been regularly linked with a switch to Saudi Arabia.

A move for Salah would appear most likely, given his tense situation at Liverpool, while any deal for Vinicius would depend on the collapse of his ongoing contract negotiations with Real Madrid.

None would cause the same excitement as Ronaldo—that’s simply a fact—but the influx of at least one blockbuster name would help the Saudi Pro League on their quest for global legitimacy.

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