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Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that there was no likelihood of him participating in club football in Europe anytime soon and thrat Major League Soccer, where his fierce rival Lionel Messi has opted to resume his professional career, was not better than the Saudi Arabian league.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United and signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Nassr, claimed he was paving the way for other elite players to make moves to Saudi Arabian clubs and predicted that more will relocate to the desert nation sooner rather than later.
After Al Nassr’s 5-0 loss against Celta Vigo in a preseason friendly on Monday, the 38-year-old Portugal skipper said that the majority of European leagues were experiencing a decline.
ESPN, the sports news organisation spoke to him as he said, “I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I’m 38-years-old. European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the (English) Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”
Prior to completing his move to MLS team Inter Miami and signing a contract lasting till 2025, Messi, the longtime rival of Ronaldo, was also mentioned as having interest in moving to Saudi Arabia.
The former Manchester United striker spoke about how the Saudi Pro League is better than the Major League Soccer. He said, “The Saudi league is better than MLS. Now all the players are coming here … In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”
A number of well-known athletes, including Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid as well as N’Golo Kante from Chelsea, joined champions Al-Ittihad when Ronaldo moved to the Saudi league.
After Ronaldo left Manchester United to join Al Nassr in Riyadh this past season, Benzema will line up against the Portuguese superstar with whom he memorably co-created a strong attacking duo during Real Madrid’s very successful period. Most of the major sides in the Saudi league have also made some significant signings as they gear up for the new season.
