“Football has changed” - Stefano Pioli responds when asked where Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al-Nassr would be placed on the table if they played Serie A 

Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli has refused to compare the Saudi Pro League and Serie A. This came after the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side registered a 4-0 win over UAE Pro League side Al-Wasl in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday (February 3). The former AC Milan boss suggested that it would not be right to compare the Saudi League to the top flight of Italian football.

Pioli said (via Al Nassr Zone on X/Twitter):

“Football has changed now.. and Saudi football has developed and it is difficult to compare between the two leagues.”

The Italian left the Rossoneri ahead of this season after a campaign that saw them finish 19 points behind city rivals and Scudetto winners Inter Milan. He replaced Luis Castro at the helm of the Saudi Pro League side when the Portuguese boss was fired following a poor start to the campaign.

Ronaldo grabbed a brace as Al-Nassr completed a straightforward win over their Emirati opponents on Monday. He scored a goal in either half and the result saw the side guarantee their qualification into the next round of the tournament. He is second among the competition's top scorers this season, with six goals from five games.

He has remained in imperious form in the Saudi Pro League as well, collecting 15 goals and three assists in 17 games. However, the side are third, eight points behind Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.

Cristiano Ronaldo makes stunning revelation about joining Barcelona years ago

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed that he was close to joining Barcelona as a youngster. The 39-year-old revealed that someone from the Catalan giants had scouted him during his time at Sporting CP but a move did not materialize.

He told Edu Aguirre (via journalist Fabrizio Romano on X/Twitter):

“I could have played for Barça before Manchester United. I was at Sporting, they tried to sign me. They wanted me but one year after. Then Manchester United appeared."

The star attacker's performance garnered interest across Europe as a teenager with Sporting CP. Multiple top clubs were interested in him before the now-famous pre-season clash against Manchester United convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to get him to England as soon as possible.

He went on to become one of the dominant players in the sport's history, winning the Ballon d'Or once, the Premier League thrice, and the Champions League once before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. He added two more league titles and four more UCL wins to his tally before moving to Juventus in 2018. Ronaldo reunited with the Red Devils in 2021 but left in December 2022 to join current side Al-Nassr.