Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he initially struggled to acclimatise to the intense heat and different training schedules in Saudi Arabia following his departure from Manchester United. Several top players from across Europe have been heavily linked with moves to the Middle East this summer, including Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante, Hakim Ziyech and Romelu Lukaku.
Following an explosive TV interview with Piers Morgan in November, the Red Devils and the 38-year-old striker parted ways. Naturally, a handful of the wealthiest clubs in Europe were rumoured to be interested in Ronaldo – one of which being Chelsea – but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Al-Nassr instead.
Since his arrival in the Middle East, Karim Benzema has flocked to the Saudi Pro League too. Lionel Messi was said to be close to taking a bumper deal with Al Hilal but he jetted off to the United States instead, penning a two-and-a-half year deal with Inter Miami – who are owned by David Beckham.
