"We are the center of the universe" - European football's arrogant attitude to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr transfer slammed by Raul Caneda 

Raúl Caneda, who coached Al Nassr in the past (2014 and 2016), has slammed European football's arrogant attitude towards Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudia Arabia transfer.

Speaking to Spanish news outlet AS, Caneda criticized European football's attitude:

Considering that Cristiano Ronaldo is taking a step back, at almost 38 years of age, is a bit ridiculous, but it is still a bit of that very European vision, that sometimes we believe we are the navel of the world.

Caneda further elaborated:

In Europe we have for many things, and especially in football, the feeling that we are the center of the Universe. To give an example that is current after his recent death, that of Pelé: there are people who say that the Brazilian does not deserve to be among the best in history because he did not play in Europe, and you have to see it almost the other way around."

He continued:

"In those years , Pelé's Santos walked around in the games he played when he crossed the Atlantic. But we don't look at that. We have that 'European centrism' and, on a different scale, that can happen to us now with Asia and the Middle East."

Crisitano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Manchester United after several public issues at the club this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to play in the Saudi Pro League in one of the most surprising transfers in recent history.

The former Al Nassr manager believes the Middle Eastern country aspires to become one of the world's significant leagues after the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo

Referring to Qatar and its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Caneda said:

"For example. Qatar has a great financial muscle, some clubs with a football tradition, but Saudi Arabia is the nerve center of Arab football, it means 20 times Qatar. It is as if you compare Spain with Andorra. In Arabia there are a maximum of eight foreigners per team and they are usually of a very good level, they do not usually sign them over 30 years of age."

He continued:

"In 2012, when we played in the Champions League semifinals, three of the four qualifiers were from there. Al-Hilal has won two of the last four editions of that tournament and the Saudi finals are followed by 20 million people from Algeria, Morocco, Egypt... Al-Hilal-Al-Nassr is a kind of Real Madrid-Barcelona in the Arab world. There is still ignorance regarding soccer in that country, which many know only from the World Cups."

The transfer is expected to heap unprecedented focus on Saudi football before a potential bid to stage the World Cup in 2030. Cristiano Ronaldo signed for the Saudi Arabian club on December 30, 2022.