Santos: Saudi Vision Leads to Global Recognition, 'Ronaldo' is the Best Throughout the Ages

Former Portugal national team coach Fernando Santos affirmed that Saudi Arabia enjoys a global reputation in football, considering that long-term vision and sports investment will contribute to attracting more celebrities to the Saudi league. In an exclusive interview with "Asharq Al-Awsat," the current Besiktas coach stated that Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup will have a positive impact on the entire region.
Santos described the performance of the Saudi national team during the 2022 World Cup as dedicated, emphasizing that goal scorers Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari will be remembered forever. The conversation also touched on Ronaldo's situation in the Portuguese national team, where Santos stated that 'the Don' is the best player in the world and is delivering a high level of performance in the Saudi league."
A new step for you in the Turkish league, how do you describe this move, and in your opinion, what are the team's chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League?
“It is naturally a huge honor to have received the invitation and to represent this giant of Turkish football. We have been calmly and serenely analyzing the squad. There is one thing I always kept in mind as a coach: winning. I am very ambitious and I am a coach who sets up teams to win, but I know that we arrived in the middle of a season that is compromised in relation to certain objectives and we need to be realistic about the chances the team had to qualify for the Champions League. When I arrived, the distance from the Champions League was already very big.”
How do you see the future of the Portuguese national team, given various factors, notably the approaching end of Ronaldo's era and the change in the coaching staff after years?
“I wish the best for the Portuguese National Team. It’s my country and I was very happy while coaching the team. We managed to become European champions, win the Nations League, and had brilliant moments. I have many friends there and I hope they are successful.”
Fans and followers believe that your relationship with Ronaldo has not been good in the last days in the world cup. Can we know the full truth?
“I have already spoken about this and I understand that Cristiano was not happy to have started two games on the bench, but I must say he had an impeccable attitude towards the team. As seen in the images, he celebrated a lot of the goals against Switzerland, in a game that we won 6-1, and he gave his best when he came on the pitch. If we had won the quarter-finals, he would probably have returned to the starting lineup. It was only a tactical decision and it was also very difficult for me. I had and still have great affection for him, which goes beyond football. Today, Ronaldo is back in excellent form, playing regularly, which was not happening before the World Cup, and scoring a lot of goals. I am very happy for him.”
Through your knowledge and vision, who do you think the best player in the world is?
I have said it many times and will say it once more. Is Christiano Ronaldo the best player of all time.
You've spent nearly 15 years coaching national teams. Tell us about the differences in working between coaching national teams and clubs.
They are very different realities, different rhythms, different tasks, but both with very interesting challenges. In national teams, everything is much more compact, with less time, often it’s about physically recovering players and instilling my ideas effectively in the short time there is to train. In clubs, you can do a more medium-term job, we have a squad to manage, we know more about what we can count on because in national teams the players do not work with us every day while in clubs the contact is constant. In national teams, there is more game observation and work than training and playing, in clubs, there are obviously many more training sessions and games and that is more in the essence of what I like to do, which is to train and help my teams win games and achieve goals.”
You supervised Ronaldo during an ideal period for the player, and undoubtedly, you've seen Messi and followed him. As their successful eras come to an end, who do you think is capable of filling the void after them?
“I did indeed have the pleasure of coaching Ronaldo and leading Portugal to win the only two trophies in our history. These are unforgettable moments that we will all remember forever. We are all privileged to be able to watch players like them in action for such a long time. For now, we still have them playing at a high level, so it’s better to focus on that than on their legacy.”
Your compatriots Jesus and Castro are competing for championships in Saudi Arabia. Tell us about their abilities and your expectations for them.
“I have been following the games in the Saudi League, especially after the strong investment made by several clubs. Luis and Jorge are doing very good jobs because they are both excellent coaches. There is also another very good coach there, Pedro Emanuel. I know all of them well, they are building very competitive teams and it will be a very interesting league to follow.”
Ronaldo, Neves, Otavio – stars of the Portuguese national team in the Saudi league. How was that received?
“In Portugal, initially with some surprise, but it was quickly understood that there was and there is a well-thought-out medium and long-term strategy. From what I know, the players are happy with the conditions and the country.”
Saudi clubs were active in the summer transfer market and made a significant impact as part of the local league development project. How do you view these steps from your perspective?
“Anyone who follows football, like me, knows that there is a huge passion for football in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia is a country with a lot of tradition and prestige in the region, the Asian confederation and even at a global level, both at the clubs and at national teams. This investment by Saudi clubs could be a step to bring more even quality and notoriety to the League.”
In general, how do you see the development in the Saudi Arabian league?
“There are surely many people outside of Saudi Arabia who have started to take an interest and watch the Saudi league games, with that comes interest from television stations and valuable international visibility. Then, in the country itself, the fans, who were already passionate about their clubs, will be even more excited and this will lead to more and more young people getting involved with football and playing football, thus contributing to the development of the sport in the country.”
If a club offered you a coaching position in Saudi Arabia, which club would you choose?
“My absolute focus at the moment is on Besiktas, where we want to do the best we can this season and start laying the foundations to be more competitive.”
Through your knowledge and perspective, who do you think is the best player in the world?
“I always said and will say again: Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Referring to the world cup 2022, how did you see the Saudi national team against Argentina and who was the best Saudi player in your opinion?
“It was a fantastic game of absolute dedication from the entire team. Running the risk of being unfair to some, but of course, the goal scorers, Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari will be remembered forever, but other players like Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Altambakti, Ali Al-Bulayhi, and Mohamed Kanno played very very well.”
Saudi Arabia won the bid to host the 2034 world cup. What do you think about this matter and how do you read its impact on Arab football especially after Qatar succeeded at hosting the 2022 world cup?
“I think that Saudi Arabia’s bid is part of the strategy of investing in sports in the country and will certainly be another factor contributing to the growth and development of football not only in the country but in the entire region. I have had very good information about the Saudi Football Federation and about the serious and committed way they are working. This is another sign in a growing trend that several countries and regions of the world want to have a leading role and shine at the highest level in international football.”

Rafael Nadal wanted to play his last match before retiring in Spain, representing Spain and wearing the red uniform used by Spain's Davis Cup squad.

“The feeling to play for your country, the feeling to play for your teammates ... when you win, everybody wins; when you lose, everybody loses, no?” Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, said a day before his career ended when his nation was eliminated by the Netherlands at the annual competition. ”To share the good and bad moments is something different than (we have on a) daily basis (in) ... a very individual sport."

The men's Davis Cup, which concludes Sunday in this seaside city in southern Spain, and the women's Billie Jean King Cup, which wrapped up Wednesday with Italy as its champion, give tennis players a rare taste of what professional athletes in soccer, football, basketball, baseball, hockey and more are so used to, The AP reported.

Sharing a common goal, seeking and offering support, celebrating — or commiserating — as a group.

“We don’t get to represent our country a lot, and when we do, we want to make them proud at that moment,” said Alexei Popyrin, a member of the Australian roster that will go up against No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner and defending champion Italy in the semifinals Saturday after getting past the United States on Thursday. “For us, it’s a really big deal. Growing up, it was something that was instilled in us. We would watch Davis Cup all the time on the TV at home, and we would just dream of playing for it. For us, it’s one of the priorities.”

Some players say they feel an on-court boost in team competitions, more of which have been popping up in recent years, including the Laver Cup, the United Cup and the ATP Cup.

“You're not just playing for yourself,” said 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, part of Britain's BJK Cup team in Malaga. “You’re playing for everyone.”

There are benefits to being part of a team, of course, such as the off-court camaraderie: Two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini said Italy's players engaged in serious games of UNO after dinner throughout the Billie Jean King Cup.

There also can be an obvious shared joy, as seen in the big smiles and warm hug shared by Sinner and Matteo Berrettini when they finished off a doubles victory together to complete a comeback win against Argentina on Thursday.

“Maybe because we’re tired of playing by ourselves — just for ourselves — and when we have these chances, it’s always nice,” Berrettini said.

On a purely practical level, this format gives someone a chance to remain in an event after losing a match, something that is rare in the usual sort of win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home tournament.

So even though Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti came up short against Francisco Cerúndolo in Italy's opener against Argentina, he could cheer as Sinner went 2-0 to overturn the deficit by winning the day's second singles match and pairing with Berrettini to keep their country in the draw.

“The last part of the year is always very tough,” Sinner said. “It's nice to have teammates to push you through.”

The flip side?

There can be an extra sense of pressure to not let down the players wearing your uniform — or the country whose anthem is played at the start of each session, unlike in tournaments year-round.

Also, it can be difficult to be sitting courtside and pulling for your nation without being able to alter the outcome.

“It’s definitely nerve-racking. ... I fully just bit all my fingernails off during the match," US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz said about what it was like to watch teammate Ben Shelton lose in a 16-14 third-set tiebreaker against Australia before getting on court himself. "I get way more nervous watching team events, and my friends play, than (when it’s) me, myself, playing.”

Santos: Saudi Vision Leads to Global Recognition, 'Ronaldo' is the Best Throughout the Ages