Sport
Jorge Jesus Says Portugal Does Not Appreciate Ronaldo Like Saudi Arabia
Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus believes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t get the recognition he deserves in Portugal compared to how he is celebrated in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo, now in his third season in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Manchester United in 2022, has been a dominant force for Al Nassr.
While he hasn’t secured any major trophies, he has led the goal charts and significantly boosted the league’s popularity.
Despite his impact, Al Nassr has struggled to win silverware, often falling short against strong rivals like Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.
Jesus, who is also Portuguese, feels Ronaldo’s contributions are not fully appreciated back home.
He pointed out how Saudi Arabia embraced the football icon long before he even played there, highlighting how the country had already put him on billboards in major cities six years ago.
Speaking to Channel 11, Jesus said, “We were already friends in Portugal, and I saw him more often there than in Saudi Arabia. He’s a national pride, but in Portugal, they don’t value him as much for the image he brings.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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