Luis Castro guarantees that the ‘new’ Saudi League will not go unnoticed

Al Nasr coach Luis Castro said this Saturday that the Saudi Football League is entering the world stage and that it cannot “continue to remain unnoticed” given the presence of names such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

During a debate at the Thinking Football Summit, the Portuguese coach, who left Botafogo in July while the club was already leading Brazil, explained what prompted him to seek a change midway through a season that was already well underway in Brazil. sports plan.

“I felt that I had played the role in Brazil that brought me there, raising the Botafogo team, which came from the second division, and for that something had to be done, to give them fame, which was done. I took advantage of this opportunity. in a growing league that wants to position itself in world football. A league that has Cristiano Ronaldo, Mendy, Mahrez, Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Fabio Martins… It cannot continue to go unnoticed,” he explained.

Castro believes the difference in the quality of the Saudi player is noticeable given the presence of global football references and the fact that European newcomers do not view the championship as a pre-retirement competition and maintain a high pace.

“I want to grow to the level of those above me in terms of knowledge, it’s human nature. Those who come from Europe should be the standard. I’m noticing a lot of growth in Saudi players and I’m not seeing a big decrease in their numbers.” from Europe, Brozovic runs 13.5 kilometers per game, which he did in temperatures of 40 or 45 degrees Celsius,” he explained.

Both coach Cristiano Ronaldo and Otavio, as well as Pedro Emanuel and Fabio Martins, Al Khalija coach and player, panelists at the event, which will take place at the Palacio de Cristal until this Saturday in Porto, praised the “mentality and passion of the fan.” “…Saudi Arabia as an agent of change, in addition to strong financial investments.

“The fans are very friendly. I went to watch Al Ittihad, our city rival, play among their fans who wanted to take pictures and were happy that we were there, as if it was completely normal. Here, will the fans still be able to maintain their passionate lifestyle,” said Pedro Emanuel, who has been training in the country for five years.

At a time of debate about the atmosphere of tension in Portuguese football and comparisons recently made by Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Castro highlighted the example of Arab attitudes towards sport, which could also be an allusion to the situation in Portugal.

“It’s not passion that I see sometimes. I often see passion in kicking. In football there is one fundamental thing that is crucial: respect for the referee, for the opponent, for the fellow coach, for the press. No respect. “What kind of football do we want to progress in? We want to know about our club and no one else. We need to have the courage to be respected and make progress in certain countries,” he stressed.

Winger Fabio Martins, who joined Saudi Arabia for the first time in the 2020/21 season, feels there has been significant progress in terms of competitiveness and believes it will be a “year zero” for the league due to impressive signings and has rejected the idea that the Asian Championship allows players to be less competitive.

“I’ve said several times that when I came here, I wasn’t sitting on a ton of money. I came to do my job, have the same expectations and try to improve every day. Previously, people thought more that the players came here to finish their careers, but this Saturday the mentality is different. Now we have seen, for example, how Al-Ahly signs 21-year-old Gabri Veiga,” he noted.