MIRROR
Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim that the Saudi Pro League is better than Major League Soccer – a day after Lionel Messi ’s arrival was confirmed – has gone viral, with some fans noticing he’s changed his tune on football in the states.
The Al-Nassr forward caused a stir on Monday by stating how he felt the Saudi Pro League was better than MLS, and claiming he paved the way for big-name players to head to the Middle East. Ronaldo said: “The Saudi league is better than the MLS.”
He also added: “I’m 100 per cent sure I won’t return to any European club. I opened the way to the Saudi league and now all the players are coming here. I won’t return to European football, the door is completely closed.
“I’m 38-years-old, also European football has lost lot of quality. The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League.”
But Ronaldo was one of the first big names to make the switch, when he left Manchester United in November 2022. A month later he signed for Al-Nassr, and a few months later he was joined by several of Europe’s biggest stars.
Ronaldo was taking part in Al-Nassr’s pre-season friendly against Spanish club Celta Vigo. The 38-year-old played 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time with the scoreline goalless, but ended up on the losing side of a 5-0 defeat.
His comments on the standard of football in America have a different tone compared to when he was asked about the prospect of a move to the MLS in his career. Back in 2016, when the Portugal international was still the main star at Real Madrid, he said that he would be open to the idea of playing in the United States later in his career.
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