Cristiano Ronaldo? Ex-Benfica star: Not my place to comment | OneFootball

Rui Pedro Braz responded to the recent controversy involving Cristiano Ronaldo and the Saudi league. In an interview, the former Benfica official spoke about the issue, which led the national team star to go on strike, thus missing some matches of Jorge Jesus's team; he himself also staged a boycott.

"All of us, and being Portuguese myself, have the utmost respect for Cristiano Ronaldo", began the former sports director of Benfica, currently working at Al Ahli, in an interview given to Sky Sports. Meanwhile, the Portuguese star has already returned to competition, against Al Fateh.

"It is not my place to speak about how he decided to make a stand. I am sure he has his own reasons", stated Rui Pedro Braz, trying not to delve too deeply into the controversy involving Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi league, and the PIF, the fund that finances the main clubs in Saudi Arabia.

"What I can say is that, if we are here today working in Saudi Arabia, a large part of the responsibility and credit goes to Cristiano Ronaldo", acknowledged the Portuguese official, who ended his connection with Benfica after the closure of the summer market in 2025.

"He opened the doors to the rest of the world and that is the greatest compliment we can give him. What he has been doing, game after game, continues to score and raise the numbers to unimaginable levels", concluded Rui Pedro Braz, in an interview with Sky Sports.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.