TOKYO, SEPT 15 – Cristiano Ronaldo aims to add the Asian Champions League title to his impressive collection of achievements when the continent’s top club competition kicks off tomorrow.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker saw his first spell with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr end in the quarter-finals.
But now, with the new name of the Elite Asian Champions League, Al Nassr and other Saudi Arabian teams will be a big threat after investing huge sums of money in the last two years for stars like Ronaldo and Neymar.
England striker Ivan Toney is the latest big name to move from Europe to Saudi Arabia when he left Brentford to join Al Ahli last month for over US$45 million.
As part of the change in the format of the competition, Saudi Arabia, which is expected to host the 2034 World Cup, will host a knockout stage mini-tournament in the final stage to determine the overall champion.
The team that wins the tournament will take home at least US$12 million.
Neymar-lined Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Hilal will be involved when the Elite Champions League begins tomorrow with a new format that divides the 24 teams into two groups, East and West.
The top eight teams from each zone will advance to the 16-team knockout round which will take place in March in a two-match format, before the tournament moves to Saudi Arabia starting at the quarter-final stage.
Defending Saudi League champions Al Hilal are looking for a fifth Asian League title, but they are still waiting for the return of Brazilian star Neymar, who is still injured following a knee injury last year.
Al Hilal have also strengthened their squad by signing Portuguese left-back Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, joining a squad that already features Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Ruben Neves. – AFP
