Xavi warns Cristiano Ronaldo he could be in for rude awakening in Saudi Arabia

Xavi has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he may have a rude awakening in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.

Many fans believe the Portuguese star took the soft option by leaving Europe to sign a £175m a year deal in the Middle East.

But Barcelona manager Xavi, who spent six years in the country as a player and then manager under Al Sadd, doesn’t think the 37-year-old’s final chapter will go as smoothly as expected.

Xavi warns Cristiano Ronaldo that he has a tough challenge in Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo, who trains here with Al-Nassr, is still hoping to make his club debut

He said: ‘Ronaldo has signed for one of the best clubs in Saudi Arabia, but it is a challenge.

This league is very complicated. I played against several of their teams when I was coaching Al Sadd. It will be a challenge.’

Ronaldo’s camp insisted it sent a series of offers from Europe’s top five divisions before deciding on his future, but there are doubts about the credibility of those claims.

His age, salary and explosive interview leading up to his ugly exit from Manchester United deterred teams from making a move and the veteran free agent decided to sign for Al-Nassr on a two-year contract.

Ronaldo will be paid £175m a year as he finishes his career in the Middle East

Xavi is currently in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup and leads his Barcelona team against Real Betis on Thursday night.

Ronaldo has faced questions about his decision to join Al-Nassr from a football perspective and many also have a problem with the country’s human rights record.

But Xavi believes that there is some hypocrisy in the criticism. He continued: ‘We are professionals in this sport. This is a business, there is a context that makes us come here and for the good of Spanish football we come here.

All this benefits us all, clubs with financial problems earn money. There was also a lot of criticism of Qatar and then it has been seen that it is not so bad.

The veteran opted not to stay in Europe and took what many fans saw as a softer option.

‘Saudi Arabia has things to improve, but it’s the same as in Spain, where we have 200,000 things to improve. Everyone deserves football to go around the world.’

Barcelona would face Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final if they beat Betis, after Carlo Ancelotti’s men beat Valencia on penalties on Wednesday.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is still awaiting his Al-Nassr debut as he is serving a ban handed down by the FA for throwing a phone out of a fan’s hand during his time at Manchester United.