3 years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the sports world when he joined Al-Nassr. Half a year later, a wave of stars continued to land in the Saudi Pro League, with a series of names such as Karim Benzema, Neymar, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte. Although some have passed their prime, just the fact that they are willing to move to the Middle East is enough to make a significant mark.
They are already millionaires, but the treatment in the Pro League is still considered life-changing. Even Jordan Henderson, who is often seen as always maintaining principles, can hardly resist the attraction of huge numbers.
Therefore, Saudi Arabia was once considered a major disruptor to world football. This poses a real challenge to Europe's long-term dominance in the transfer market.
But at this time, the earthquake is starting right inside the Saudi Pro League. Not a blockbuster from Europe, but an internal transfer that makes the whole world look back. That is Benzema's move to Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo is still the representative face for the entire Saudi Arabia sports project. From the first day, he played the role of an unofficial ambassador, not only for the Saudi Pro League but also for the image of the country.
When extending his contract with Al-Nassr last summer, Ronaldo once affirmed: "I am very happy to know that the league is very competitive. Only those who have never played football in Saudi Arabia, those who do not understand football, say that this league is not in the top 5 in the world.
I completely believe in what I say, and the players in this tournament all understand what I am saying. That is why I want to stay, because I believe in the project - not only in the next 2 years - but also until 2034, when the World Cup is held in Saudi Arabia. I also believe that it will be the most beautiful World Cup ever".
Just a month ago, Ronaldo still appeared resilient despite Al-Nassr's difficulties on the pitch. "It's hard to compete with teams like Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, but we are still there, still trying and fighting.
Football is like that. You have good moments and bad moments, but the most important thing is to be professional, try your best, respect the club, respect your contract and believe that everything will change".
But at this time, it seems that CR7 feels that the Saudi Pro League championship race is no longer fair. Ronaldo's right or wrong is probably no longer the focus, because his withdrawal is simply too bad an image for the tournament.
In recent transfer windows, Saudi Arabian clubs have begun to switch to a more economical approach, partly because resources are more allocated to other sports. This also leads to a trend of prioritizing signing promising young talents instead of chasing after superstars who are already on the other side of the slope.
Of course, the prospect of Mohamed Salah one day coming to the Saudi Pro League is still considered unavoidable, but PIF's efforts to recruit Vinicius from Real Madrid further show that they want to build a new image with stars who are at their peak.
Even so, Ronaldo is still a key factor. Even at the age of 40, his appeal is still huge. And CR7's "stubborn" action this time not only has a bad impact on his personal image and league reputation, but also risks obscuring the three-horse race that is very attractive.
Amidst the recent noise, people almost ignored the fact that Al-Nassr still defeated Al-Riyadh even without Ronaldo, thanks to the only goal of Sadio Mane, thereby narrowing the gap with Al-Hilal to only one point. Also on that day, the leading team Al-Hilal was again held to a 0-0 draw by Al-Ahli - the team currently ranked third.
At this time, what public opinion really wants to discuss is whether Ronaldo will return to the field in the predicted tense match against Al-Ittihad or not.
