Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and the rest of Al Nassr’s big-money stars had to get ready in a ‘Sunday League’-style changing room for their recent match.
The Saudi Pro League continues to lavish massive wages and fees on a slew of high-profile players, with the top four sides appearing to have an infinite budget due to their ownership by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
However, several of the lower-level sides in Saudi Arabia’s top flight do not have the same level of finances and facilities.
On Friday night, Al Nassr defeated Al Fateh 5-1, with Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick and Mane bagging a double for Luis Castro’s side.
Images of the away dressing room at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium went viral, highlighting the chasm in status.
The area was anything but cutting-edge, and the shirts were put out on chairs that appeared to be from a conference room of some type.
And fans were taken aback by the less-than-impressive conditions Ronaldo and his teammates had to deal with.
One said: “I thought the Saudi league was rich.”
A second commented: “Spent billions on washed up players but zero infrastructure.
A third had the same view, writing: “Spend millions on players and salaries but can’t do the same for something as simple as a dressing room.”
A fourth user added: “All that money on wages and their dressing room doesn’t even come close to a Sunday league dressing room.”
Another joked: “Ronaldo getting changed in a conference room there.”
A final person wrote: “All that money and this is your away dressing room.”
It’s worth noting that Al Nassr’s changing room is enormous, with comfy seats and a stylish design, but not all clubs are on the same playing field.
Following their first victory of the season, Al Nassr will face Al Shabab in their next match on Tuesday.