Portuguese professional footballer and captain of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, has said that he knew going to Saudi Arabia will open doors for other players.
Ronaldo gave this revelation in an interview posted on Twitter on Thursday.
The football icon left Manchester United after signing a mega-money £175 million-a-year deal to join Al-Nassr and Saudi Pro League clubs have been active in the European transfer market, searching for football's biggest talents.
Reigning Ballon d'Or winner, Karim Benzema, has joined Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid and N'Golo Kante is also on the verge of completing a move to Al-Ittihad, signing a £172m deal since Ronaldo's arrival.
Lionel Messi was long linked with a move to Al-Hilal but later joined Inter Miami.
He said, "I knew that my going to Saudi Arabia would open a box and I wasn’t wrong. I’m sure in a couple of years or three, this league is going to be one of the most important leagues in the world.
"Karim left already and I am 1000 per cent sure that many more players will."
Al-Hilal finished third last season and is also rumoured to be keen on Jordi Alba.