Meet Cristiano Goncalves, the other Portuguese Cristiano who landed in Saudi Arabia to help football even before Ronaldo

Before the arrival of former Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, youth coach Cristiano Goncalves had already set foot in Saudi Arabia to help grow football in the country.

Goncalves, who arrived in the summer of 2022, is the head coach of the Juventus Academy in Al Khobar and helps develop young talent. His goal is to work with the big Saudi Pro League (SPL) clubs to find a pathway for young children to eventually enter the professional space.

Speaking to the News channel Al Arabiya English, he said:

"My vision as a coach is always to develop players for the next level. Right now, the level of young players in Saudi Arabia is not as competitive as in Italy or England, for example, but our aim is to bring them up to that level.”

Goncalves is building connections with SPL clubs Al-Khaleej and Al-Ettifaq, who are located close to the Juventus Academy in Al Khobar. Revealing how it felt after second-tier side Al Qadsiah signed two players from the youth coach's academy, he said:

"This is a great feeling when a professional club wants our players and it shows that we are doing a good job in developing them."

"We can improve their technical skills and can positively impact their character. Coaching is not just about business; it is about education."

Goncalves has also taken his set of academy players to visit the Juventus Stadium in Turin and interact with legends of the club.

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Cristiano Goncalves opens up about the effect of Cristiano Ronaldo on Saudi Arabian youth football

Cristiano Ronaldo (via Getty Images)

Juventus Academy coach in Al Khobar, Cristiano Goncalves, recently spoke about the effect Cristiano Ronaldo has had on the number of youngsters taking up football in Saudi Arabia.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner decided to join SPL side Al-Nassr in January 2023 after a fallout with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Since the Portuguese icon's arrival, several high-profile players, including Neymar, N'Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema, among others, have moved to Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about the 38-year-old's influence on academy-level football, Goncalves told Al Arabiya English:

"At the start, we had around 90 kids at the Juventus Academy. Then the World Cup happened, Ronaldo came to Saudi Arabia, and everyone seemed to wake up. Now, we have more than 400 players with us. I think they heard that a Portuguese guy called Cristiano will be coaching them!"

He added:

"For the kids at the academy, it is amazing that they can now see these big players close up and we see a lot more of our players now wearing the shirts of Saudi Pro League clubs. So, it is clearly making a difference."

Since joining Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has bagged 30 goals and 11 assists across all competitions from 36 appearances. He will most likely feature in his club's league clash against Al-Akhdoud on Friday (November 24).