Caticia senior executives: Vinicius will benefit the entire league if he joins. Ronaldo is a turning point in Saudi football

As a newly promoted team, Saudi United Caticia ranks fourth in the league this season, and its total investment is only one-sixth of the average level of giants such as New Moon and Victory. Ass interviewed Carlos Anton, a sports director of Caticia, who talked about Nacho and other signings, and talked about the overall development of Saudi Arabia.

You have been competing with the giants since the upgrade and reached the Cup finals

"The team has performed more than expected this season. Our goal is to be the strongest team outside the four clubs. We are eager to hit the upstream position in the league and cause trouble. Our budget is only a small part of them, about one-quarter to one-sixth of them. Based on this, we have developed a transfer market strategy. Last year we signed Nacho and Castels and took bold moves on other signings. Quiniones, who signed from Mexico, has an amazing performance. You should know that players of the same level in Europe will be much more valuable."

are most interested in what type of players?

"Players with strong internal motivation. They can't come just for money, like Nacho, Nandet and many other players, who have strong internal motivation and are eager to continue to compete. In addition, Nacho and Aubameyang, not only are the top players, but also improve the dimension of the club, which can't be better."

Ronaldo seems to have changed the whole of Saudi football. What are the short-term and medium-term goals of Saudi football?

"The project plan for 2030 has existed before Ronaldo came. In fact, I think this plan has entered its eighth year. Many steps have been taken at the infrastructure level. When it gained high attention, it was because a lot of work had been done behind the scenes. Ronaldo is a turning point in Saudi football development, and Benzema's arrival is a knock-on confirmation that their joining has created appeal and attracted more elite players. But now the focus of the league is to develop clubs and build everything to a competitive level. I am not sure whether the Saudi league is much worse than the Portuguese Super League or Ligue 1. There may be a gap in the lower reaches of the league, but at the top, there is almost no difference." Will Vinicius be another strategic signing?

"Any player at this level has business value, in addition to competitive value, and it is all good, and if Vinicius joins, it will be beneficial to the entire league. It can attract investment and players. What I worry most is that young players are unwilling to come. It is normal to come to gold at the end of their career, but what is really important is that players need to see Saudi Arabia as a step forward in their careers, and that is already happening."

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