Cristiano Ronaldo believes the Saudi Pro League can one day rival the Premier League and Europe's best as one of the best competitions on the planet.
The former Manchester United man has spent the last six months at Al-Nassr and helped keep their title hopes alive with a stunning winner as they came from two down to win the Riyadh derby against Al-Shabab. Ronaldo's side trailed after a Cristian Guanca brace on Tuesday night before Talisca reduced the deficit before the break.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb levelled early in the second half and Ronaldo, who had earlier hit the angle of post and bar with a header, curled in a superb third to complete the comeback on the hour. The victory keeps Al-Nassr's title hopes alive.
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They trail leaders Al-Ittihad, who beat Al-Batin 1-0 earlier in the day, by three points with two games remaining. Al-Nassr are second-favourites to overhaul Nuno Espirito Santo's side at the top of the standings but will hope to keep the pressure on.
And Ronaldo believes the Saudi league is only heading in one direction after netting his 14th of the campaign since arriving from United following the World Cup in Qatar.
"In my opinion, the Saudi league is getting better and next season it will be even better," he said. "Step by step I think this league will be in the top five leagues in the world but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure. I believe this country has amazing potential and amazing people and the league will be great."
Of Tuesday's game, he added: "To be 2-0 down is very difficult but we believed until the end and scored three goals so congratulations to the team and the supporters who were amazing today. We are very happy."
The 38-year-old has been linked with a move away from Al-Nassr in recent weeks but is under contract for another two years. The frontman is expected to feature for Portugal in their European Championship qualifiers against Bosnia and Iceland next month.
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