Rudi Garcia compares Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia to Pelé in the USA | OneFootball

In an interview with L’Équipe while watching the Dakar Rally, Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia – formerly of Lille, Lyon and Marseille as well as Roma – has discussed the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in his team and the wider implications of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move to Saudi Arabia.

The Riyadh-based club’s manager explained that the Portuguese forward was in good physical shape and raring to go ahead of his first game, which would be a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain on January 19 as part of a mixed team made up of both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players.

For Garcia, though, Ronaldo’s arrival would have an impact beyond his team’s fortunes – they currently sit four points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League table, looking to reclaim the title from Al-Hilal – with the French manager claiming the former Real Madrid man’s presence would shine a light on sports in the peninsula all the while helping to develop it across the Middle East:

“You wouldn’t have been able to imagine ten years ago that all of these great champions would come to this country. If I can make a comparison for Cristiano, it’s a bit like Pelé’s arrival in the USA back in his day [played for the New York Cosmos from 1975 to 1977], notably in terms of the development of football, sports and culture in Saudi Arabia.”