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Cristiano Ronaldo has declared that he’ll be staying in the Saudi Pro League for a second season.
The Portuguese superstar, 37, made his future plans clear amid widespread reports suggesting that former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema is expected in Saudi Arabia next week to sign for a rival club. Benzema, who enjoyed nine years playing alongside Ronaldo at Real, is set to earn an eye-watering £345million over two years should the transfer go through.
A reunion with his old colleague who plays for Riyadh-based side Al-Nassr wasn’t always certain, though, as the ex- Manchester United hero’s own future was shrouded in doubt. After a return to Europe was mooted, Ronaldo has now cleared up the speculation.
“I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner told SPL. “And in my opinion if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top five league in the world.
“I will be part of your world, your culture, I will be here, I hope I make the people enjoy through my games, my performance, and to win things, but again, thank you for welcoming me, and I will try to give my best during the time that I will be here.”
Last week, Ronaldo missed out on winning the Saudi title with Al-Nassr, having signed for them midway through the season in December. The Portugal captain scored an impressive 14 goals in 16 games but his tally wasn’t enough to deny Al-Ittihad their third crown, although Ronaldo hopes to stop them winning a fourth next term.
“My expectation was a little bit different,” the 37-year-old confessed. “To be honest I expected to win something this year, but it is not always the way we think or the way we want, sometimes we need passion, consistency, and persistence to achieve the best things.
“So, I still believe that next year we will improve a lot, let us say in the last five or six months, the team has improved a lot, even the league, all the teams improved.
“It takes time sometimes, but if you believe and you think it is your goal, I think everything is possible. I expected to win something this year, but we didn’t, but next year I am really positive and confident that things will change, and we go in a better way. So, let us believe that and work on that.”
Benzema isn’t expected to join Al-Nassr, with local rivals Al-Hilal and champions Al-Ittihad both mentioned as potential destinations.
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