Ronaldo doesn’t want me in Saudi Pro League, claims ex-Chelsea man

Robin Bairner

• 8 Jul 2023 22:30 BST
• 3 min read

Juan Cuadrado has said that he will not follow a stream of leading European players to the Saudi Pro League because Cristiano Ronaldo does not want him across there.

Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in late 2022 after he was released by Manchester United and has set a trend for major players to move to the big-spending league.

Among those who have followed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to the Gulf is reigning Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema, while a string of Chelsea stars, headlined by free agent N’Golo Kante and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy have moved to the up-and-coming division.

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Cuadrado, who is a free agent after eight years at Juventus, says he is not about to join them.

“The Saudi Pro League? Right now, I still feel the passion to compete at the highest level,” he told Corriere dello Sport.

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“Cristiano Ronaldo is over there, but he doesn’t want me to join him! I’m joking!

“Now, I’ll talk with my agent about my options and I’ll see which is the best.”

Juventus dream after Chelsea nightmare

Cuadrado is set to trade teams for the first time since he departed Chelsea in 2015 after a difficult six-month spell with the club that saw him start only three matches.

He was quickly moved on loan to Juventus in an 18-month agreement that was subsequently made permanent.

The 35-year-old Colombia international is grateful he had the opportunity to compete in Serie A.

“I dreamed about it, but I didn’t think it would be like this. It fills me with pride to have experienced this,” he added.

Cuadrado began his career at Independiente Medellin before moving to Udinese in Serie A. He also turned out for Lecce and Fiorentina before moving to Chelsea and finally Juventus, where he counted upon Ronaldo as a teammate.