Spanish coach Raúl Caneda has rejected claims Cristiano Ronaldo will wind down at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

The former Al Nassr coach says the Saudi Pro League and Asian football should not be underestimated.

Caneda, asked if he was surprised by the former Manchester United striker's move, told AS, "In part yes, in part no. I knew that in Saudi Arabia there was an intention to give the championship a greater dimension, and I don't mean just financially, because in that respect the potential is tremendous. We are talking about the most important championship in Asia.

"I saw Iniesta, Xavi and Raúl go to less strong leagues and nobody said that. Ronaldo will have the best contract in the history of football. Those kinds of opinions are also related to the Messi-Cristiano debate. Iniesta didn't go to Japan eat sushi, I suppose he did it for the money. Considering that Ronaldo is, at 38, taking a step back is a little ridiculous.

"It is a very demanding championship. It is necessary to clearly distinguish the countries in that region. Saudi Arabia is the biggest and has a very important tradition. For me, football there is equivalent to that of Turkey. There is great economic power, and it is difficult for good players leave because they earn extremely well.

"They're a big club, one of the three biggest in Arabia, and make no mistake: they will demand a lot from Cristiano. It is ridiculous to hear derogatory words about Al-Nassr. It will not be so easy for Ronaldo to stand out because of his age. Also because the level he will face will not let him. There are three or four teams in Arabia that would compete very well in the Spanish Primera Division."