Xavi warns Cristiano Ronaldo he could be in for rude awakening in Saudi Arabia

Xavi has warned Cristiano Ronaldo he may be in for rude awakening in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr. 

Many fans believe the Portuguese star took the soft option by leaving Europe to sign a £175m-a-year deal in the middle east. 

But Barcelona boss Xavi, who spent six years in the country as a player and then manager with Al Sadd, does not think the 37-year-old’s final chapter will be as smooth as expected. 

Xavi has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he faces a tough challenge in Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo, training here with Al-Nassr, is still waiting to make his debut for the club

He said: ‘Ronaldo has signed for one of the best clubs in Saudi Arabia, but it’s a challenge. 

‘This league is very complicated. I played against several of their teams when I coached Al Sadd. It will be a challenge.’

Ronaldo’s camp insisted he fielded a number of offers from the top five divisions in Europe before deciding his future but there are doubts over the credibility of those claims. 

His age, wage and explosive interview that led to his ugly departure from Manchester United deterred teams from making a move and the veteran free agent then chose to sign for Al-Nassr on a two-year deal.  

Ronaldo will be paid £175million-a-year as he sees out his career in the middle east 

Xavi is currently in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup and leads his Barcelona side against Real Betis on Thursday evening. 

Ronaldo has faced questions about his decision to join Al-Nassr from a footballing perspective and many also have an issue with the country’s human rights record. 

But Xavi believes there is some hypocrisy to criticism. He went on: ‘We are professionals in this sport. This is a business, there is a context that makes us come here and for the good of Spanish football we come here. 

‘All this benefits us all, clubs with financial problems earn money. There was also a lot of criticism of Qatar and then it has been seen that it is not that bad. 

The veteran chose not to stay in Europe and took what many fans saw as a softer option

‘Saudi Arabia has things to improve, but that’s the same as in Spain, where we have 200 hundred things to improve. Everyone deserves that football should go around the world.’

Barcelona would face Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup if they beat Betis, after Carlo Ancelotti’s men squeezed past Valencia on penalties on Wednesday. 

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is still waiting for his Al-Nassr debut as he is serving a ban handed down from the FA for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand during his time at Manchester United.