Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus claims that Saudi Pro League will soon be in the Top 5 leagues on the planet, and that they are already miles ahead of the Portuguese league.Jesus, who won the Portuguese domestic championship on multiple occasions and the UEFA Europa League twice, assures that Saudis are improving with each new day.”This season, they introduced the right to bring in two more foreign footballers, younger than 22. And almost all teams did that. We brought only one, Marcos Leonard, who is 22. So it is clear that young people no longer come to Saudi Arabia only for financial reasons, but because they see that some of the best teams in the world are playing here,” Jesus said like in an interview for A Bola.The choice has been made: Ronaldo’s Al Nassr hire former AC Milan manager Stefano PioliThe experienced tactician believes that the Saudi league will thrive even more in the next few years, ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which they will be hosting.”This league will grow more and more. Not only in terms of players, but also when it comes to coaches. Many of the best are already here. Pioli, the great Italian coach, arrived at Al-Nassr just a few days ago. I am not saying that the future of football is in Saudi Arabia, because it is not. The future of football will always be in Europe. But the Saudis are at a high level and with time they will be in the Top 5 in the world, I have no doubt about that”, Jesus said.Asked about the reasons for such a conclusion, he explained:”Players are the key. Not all of them, but most of them are top footballers, so the football is at the top level. There are also top stadiums. There is no comparison. Anyone who compares the Portuguese championship with the Saudi league is saying that because they have no idea about anything”.##NAJAVA_MECA_8361780##However, day-to-day life in Saudi Arabia has its flaws…”I don’t spend much time on the street. In fact, no one spends it on the street, because here you can’t go outside because of the heat. You go everywhere by car, you spend time in shopping malls or at home or somewhere with air conditioning, a-ha-ha. It is possible, at least during the day, at night. And Riyadh is a very beautiful city at night. People talk about Saudi Arabia as if we are still in the time when there were only camels and desert here. Not so at all. This is a great city, a great country.”And what Jesus points out as a special quality is that it is safe.”There are rules and safety here. There is no such thing in Europe. Every citizen feels safe here. This is a country with incredible potential for evolution. Pay attention to Saudi Arabia in the next ten years, not only in football. I was here for the first time more than five years ago, and football has structurally evolved during that time,” concluded he.
