Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al Nassr in January 2023 put the Saudi Pro League on the map, but Anderson Talisca was already there before the Portuguese superstar.
Signed in July 2021 for €8 million from Chinese side Guangzhou, the Brazilian told Globo Esporte how the club and the competition have changed since the former Real Madrid player’s arrival.
“When I arrived, we were only six foreigners. We knew there would be long-term growth, but not so fast. With Cris’s arrival, everything changed,” Talisca said. “Today, if you look at the championship standings, the Saudi league is already among the top ten, a very important milestone and will continue to improve more and more.”
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Ronaldo has made similar comments about the Saudi league’s relevance more than once. The 5x Ballon d’Or winner has settled in perfectly, but Talisca also turned up his level since CR7 arrived: the former Bahia player is Al Nassr’s second top scorer this season with 25 goals in all competitions, only behind Cristiano (41).
Ronaldo ➡️ Talisca ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/gtRQPxl4Ux
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) October 28, 2023
“Playing with him for us, the young ones who saw his entire history at Real Madrid, is really cool,” said the 30-year-old forward, who described his relationship with the former Manchester United player as “very calm.”
“He is a very humble person, very relaxed. On the field, we have a very good relationship, each of us seeks our goal which is to help the club, score goals, and help with victories. It’s a very calm relationship,” Talisca said.
Since his arrival in 2021, the former Besiktas player has scored 69 goals and provided 12 assists in 91 games for Al Nassr.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
