Cristiano Ronaldo signing helped Saudi Pro League increase revenue by 650 per cent, claims SPL chief 

Saudi Pro League's head of operations Carlo Nohra believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's presence has had a massive influence on the league. He stated that the tournament has grown in popularity, now being telecast in 140 countries with a massive revenue increase.

He told Ace (via French Football Weekly):

“Signing Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Saudi Arabia helped broadcast the championship to 140 countries and increased league revenue by 650%,” he explained.

The Portuguese superstar left Manchester United in November 2022 after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag. He joined Al-Nassr, becoming the first in a wave of top European stars to move to the Middle East.

Nohra went on to explain the league's vision. He also spoke on how they would maintain their financial viability after spending a massive amount of money this season to attract top players.

Speaking to AFP, he said:

“It’s not something that we expect will happen overnight. It’s not a one-weekend event — this is a long-term project, and everybody accepts that that’s what it will take.

"And it’s not a function of throwing money at it and it will happen. It is ensuring that we do all the right things along the way to bring everything and everybody and the ecosystem up together.”

Before the start of this campaign, the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Neymar and Roberto Firmino have left top clubs in Europe to ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League.

Real Madrid star close to matching Cristiano Ronaldo's club record

Bellingham has enjoyed a fantastic start to life in Spain.

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is just one game away from equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring in his first four games for the club. The 19-year-old has hit the ground running with Los Blancos, bagging four goals in his first three appearances.

The Englishman joined the Spanish giants from Borussia Dortmund this summer for a fee of €103 million. He scored on his La Liga debut against Athletic Bilbao before bagging a brace against Almeria. He also came up clutch against Celta Vigo with a late goal that handed his side a win.

Wesley Sneijder and Ronaldo are the only other players to score in their first three games for Real Madrid. Bellingham also became the youngest player in the 21st century to score in three games on the trot for the club.