Cristiano Ronaldo will not leave Al-Nassr this summer and intends to play for the Saudi Arabian club next season, he said Thursday.
However, the Portuguese international did acknowledge the need for the Saudi Pro League to improve if it hopes to become one of the world's best.
Ronaldo said in an interview with the Saudi Pro League, via ESPN's Mark Ogden:
"The league is very good. But I think we have many, many opportunities to still grow. The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players, but they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure.
"Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker. I think other small things they need to improve.
"But I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here. 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."
Ronaldo signed a contract with Al-Nassr through June 2025 worth close to €200 million per year after parting ways with Premier League side Manchester United in November. He went on to score 14 goals in 16 games with the Riyadh-based club.
However, Al-Nassr missed out on winning any hardware this season with Ronaldo on board after finishing second in the SPL with a 20-7-3 record. Al Ittihad finished first with a 22-6-2 record, and Al-Hilal won the King Cup.
Rumors that Ronaldo could leave Al-Nassr began to circulate last month, with Premier League side Newcastle linked to the 38-year-old. However, Newcastle coach Eddie Howe essentially put an end to those reports.
"It is best to discover players before they explode onto the world scene," he told reporters. "We could not be able to come close to affording those players as they are the best players in the world."
"We are never going to be in a position currently to afford those transfer fees and wages, so we need to go underneath and find them young and develop them into the players they can be".
Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian competition could become even tougher next season as Real Madrid star Karim Benzema is expected to sign with Al-Ittihad, per ESPN's Julien Laurens and Alex Kirkland. Additionally, Lionel Messi will depart Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain this summer and has an offer on the table to join Al-Hilal, per Laurens.
