One of the greatest footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to have taken a swipe at the fact that his arch-rival Lionel Messi chose the Major League Soccer in the United States of America over the Saudi Pro League. Last year, Ronaldo decided to continue his football career in the Middle East, signing a big-money contract with Al-Nassr. While Messi reportedly have a bigger offer on the table from another Saudi club, he decided to sign for Inter Miami in the USA. When Ronaldo was asked about a potential switch MLS in the future, the Portuguese star ruled it out saying the Saudi League is ‘better’.
“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo told media after Al Nassr’s 5-0 loss to LaLiga side Celta Vigo in a friendly which was held in his native Portugal. “I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”
Ronaldo was the first high-profile player from Europe to join the Saudi League. This year, however, a number of other top stars like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Roberto Firmino, etc. have joined the Middle Eastern league, signing for different clubs. A number of other top stars are also expected to follow suit and sign new contracts for Gulf sides before the transfer window shuts.
“In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league,” Ronaldo added, putting his money on the Saudi League’s promising future.
Ronaldo also ruled out a potential return to a European club, saying most leagues in the continent, barring the Premier League, have lost their charm.
“I’m 100 percent sure I won’t return to any European club,” Ronaldo said. “I’m 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”
Ronaldo is set to play Benfica in a friendly clash next as part of Al-Nassr’s schedule.
“The plan was for me to play 45 minutes today,” Ronaldo said. “Against Benfica, I might play 60 or 70 minutes. It is better to fine-tune the machine little by little to reach the best form,” he asserted.
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