Cristiano Ronaldo helped Saudi League increase revenue by 650%, claims SPL chief

Aug 29: 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.

(MSN)