Toni Kroos backs Cristiano Ronaldo, says Saudi Pro League would be ignored without him | OneFootball

Toni Kroos has defended Cristiano Ronaldo over his self-imposed absence at Al-Nassr, arguing the Saudi Pro League would go unwatched without the Portuguese forward.

A Bola reports that Ronaldo has returned to training after missing two matches in protest at January transfer dealings. Al-Nassr visit Arkadag in Turkmenistan in Asian Champions League 2 in midweek, and he is not expected to feature, with a comeback pencilled in against Al-Fateh next weekend.

Speaking on his podcast, via O Jogo, Kroos called the competition a strange phenomenon and said Ronaldo put it on the map. He added that without Ronaldo the league would lose its appeal and few would watch.

Ronaldo withdrew from selection after PIF allowed Karim Benzema to leave Ittihad for Hilal, a move that strengthened Al-Nassr’s closest title rivals. The league said in a statement that clubs operate independently under the same rules, recruitment and spending are club decisions within a financial framework, and no individual decides beyond their own team. It pointed to a tight title race and said the focus remains on the pitch.

Ronaldo earns around £400,000 per day and has scored 17 goals in 18 league games this season. Having recently turned 41, he was urged by Roberto Carlos never to retire, who even claimed he could reach 1,000 goals and expressed certainty about that milestone.

Source: Goal.com