Peseiro says Ronaldo should start for Al-Nassr and Salah missed ‘ideal’ Saudi move

Jose Peseiro believes Cristiano Ronaldo should continue to start for Al-Nassr and says Mohamed Salah missed the ideal opportunity to become one of the leading figures in Saudi Arabia’s football project.

The Portuguese coach, now managing AlUla, also backed Saudi Arabia to challenge for the AFC Asian Cup under Georgios Donis, while identifying Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal as the leading contenders for the Saudi Professional League title.

Al-Hilal have strengthened with several high-quality signings, despite other clubs losing foreign players for financial reasons, but Peseiro says recruitment alone will not decide the title race.

“Al-Hilal have signed special players of high quality and have become stronger, especially as they already had excellent players,” he said.

“However, other factors can determine who wins trophies. These relate to organisation, structure and leadership.”

Peseiro said Karim Benzema’s departure from Al-Hilal was not necessarily surprising, although he did not know the circumstances behind it.

“I do not know the reasons for his departure, but in football it is normal for players not to succeed in some of the projects they join,” he said.

Victor Osimhen, who previously played under Peseiro with Nigeria, has been linked with Al-Hilal on several occasions. The striker, Peseiro said, would have adapted successfully to life in Saudi Arabia.

“Osimhen is an elite striker with rare work ethic and competitive aggression. He would have adapted to any environment,” he said. “Had he chosen Saudi Arabia, he would have been one of the league’s biggest stars because his commitment to the game is absolute.”

Peseiro also believes Salah would have been ideally suited to the Saudi Professional League at this stage of his career, despite moving to Trabzonspor.

“Salah is an icon. He is the person who knows what is best for him, but honestly, I think the Saudi league was the ideal stage for him at this point,” said Peseiro. “The opportunity for him to be here as one of the major symbols of the Saudi project has been lost.”

Asked whether he would regularly start Ronaldo or use him as a substitute because of his age, Peseiro was unequivocal.

“I would always play him. Cristiano is not an ordinary player. As long as he has that passion and energy, he should be on the pitch,” he said. “He makes everyone around him better and, as we have already seen at the start of this season, he continues to score and decide matches.”

Peseiro said the arrival of famous international players had greatly benefited Saudi footballers, despite the increased competition for places.

“Training every day alongside a player who has won the Ballon d’Or or a European competition raises the level of any local player,” he said. “The demands have increased, and that will make the Saudi national team much more mature.”

He added that Saudi football had developed enormously since his previous spells with Al-Hilal and the Saudi national team, with investment expected to produce short- and medium-term benefits.

Saudi Arabia, he said, had the conditions required to win the AFC Asian Cup on home soil. Home advantage would be significant, Donis understood the Saudi game well, and the players were better prepared than ever.

Peseiro named Al-Nassr, the current champions, and Al-Hilal as his leading title favourites.

Reflecting on previous defeats in the UEFA Cup final with Sporting CP and the Africa Cup of Nations final with Nigeria, Peseiro said small details had denied him two major trophies.

He described both matches as the highest points of his career, saying Sporting CP deserved to win and that the Nigeria final carried the hopes of more than 200 million people. The decisive moments, he said, involved details beyond normal training: a shot hitting the post, a split-second decision under extreme fatigue or a lapse in defensive effectiveness.

Peseiro’s immediate ambition is to win the Saudi First Division title with AlUla. His longer-term dream is to reach the World Cup with a national team, while continuing to work with the same passion and energy.