Cristiano Ronaldo says Saudi Pro League 'much better' than MLS as Lionel Messi is unveiled at Inter Miami

ByYara El-Shaboury

Published 18/07/2023 at 08:58 GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo has asserted that the Saudi Pro League is "better" than Major League Soccer following Lionel Messi's high-profile move to Inter Miami. Ronaldo's remarks came after playing for Al-Nassr in a pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo. The Portuguese also believes an influx of top players will join the Saudi league and discussed his decision not to return to Europe.

Cristiano Ronaldo claims that the Saudi Pro League is superior to Major League Soccer after long-time rival Lionel Messi was unveiled as an Inter Miami player on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.

Following his departure from Manchester United after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo made the decision to join the Saudi Arabia-based club Al-Nassr.

And at the end of last season, Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain came to an end, with the Argentine subsequently signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with Inter Miami in a significant move for both MLS and the growth of football in America, despite reported interest from Saudi Arabia.

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When questioned about his own future plans by the media after taking part in the first half of Al Nassr's 5-0 pre-season loss to La Liga side Celta Vigo, Ronaldo made his views known.

"Returning to Europe, for me, is a closed possibility, I'm already 38-and-a-half years old and... it's not worth it," he said.

"Europe lost a lot of quality. The only one that is one of the best is the Premier League. The Spanish league lost its level, the Portuguese one is not 'top', the German one also lost a lot of quality."

When specifically asked about whether he would ever follow in the footsteps of Messi and play in the MLS, he said: "The USA? No, the Saudi championship is much better than the USA.”

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Ronaldo, whose European career saw him play for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, has maintained that Saudi Arabia's league is becoming more competitive.

This summer, the league has seen a growing influx of top players, such as Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Marcelo Brozovic, joining various clubs.

“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.

'Let's bug people a bit' - Ronaldo wants more big names to join Benzema in Saudi Arabia

While Ronaldo's first season with Al-Nassr did not yield any trophies, the prolific forward scored 14 goals in 19 appearances.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Image credit: Getty Images

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