"The level will go back to what it was before" - Pundit explains his one major concern for SPL when Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Al-Nassr

Former Saudi Pro League player and manager Theo Bucker has praised the effect of Cristiano Ronaldo on the Saudi Pro League. However, the German also added that the league levels could be in danger of dropping once Ronaldo calls it quit on his time at Al Nassr.

Bucker said, compiled by AS (via Essentially Sports):

"Cristiano is a completely different player and he will make Saudi soccer more advanced in the future and push it forward, but I am afraid that once these players like him leave, the level will go back to what it was before."

Ronaldo's arrival to the Saudi League in January 2023 saw a rise in popularity of the competition. It was followed by a mass influx of top European players to the SPL in the summer transfer window of 2023.

Bucker added that players in the league should soak up the opportunity to learn from Ronaldo.

"It is an opportunity for all clubs and players to learn from him and the other stars, but they must be sustainable.”

Top players like Neymar, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves among others are currently plying their trade in the league. Not all are happy though as Jordan Henderson left Al Ettifaq after a six-month stunt.

The former Liverpool captain currently plays for Ajax and reportedly is not the only one unhappy. Sources have claimed that Benzema is also struggling in Saudi Arabia.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is not prepared for the failures in life - Psychologist Filipa Torrinha Nunes

A distinguished Portuguese psychologist, Filipa Torrinha Nunes, has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's intense approach to his profession could backfire one day. According to her, the five-time Ballon d'Or's perseverance has given him success but has also failed to prepare him for the failures in life.

She told the Portuguese program Alo Portugal (via HIPER):

"Cristiano Ronaldo has a bad losing streak. He always has since he was a kid. There is a good side and a bad side. On the one hand, it makes you be very intense in your achievements and be the best in the world. Which is his case, is perseverance.”

Nunes added:

“But on the other hand, he can’t fit in that sometimes he doesn’t he runs well, that sometimes he is insulted, that sometimes there are fans who won’t like him, that one day his career will end. I believe that Cristiano Ronaldo is not prepared for the failures in life.”

Her comments came on the back of Ronaldo's one-match ban. The Portuguese captain was suspended after he made an obscene gesture during Al Nassr's 3-2 win against Al Shabab on February 25.