Cristiano Ronaldo Says Saudi League is Better than Major League Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for Al Nassr, expressed his opinion that the Saudi Pro League "is better" than Major League Soccer (MLS) and confirmed that he has no intentions of playing in the United States or returning to a European team.

Following Al Nassr's 5-0 preseason friendly loss to Celta Vigo from La Liga in Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to the media. Ronaldo played the first half of the match and shared his thoughts during the interview.

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo said when asked about the possibility of following his great rival Lionel Messi's footsteps and making a move to the United States, as Messi recently joined Inter Miami.

“Now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo said. “In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”

Ronaldo, who was substituted at half-time with the score tied 0-0, added: “I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”

Saudi Arabia has witnessed the arrival of numerous notable players, including Ballon d'Or recipient Karim Benzema from Real Madrid and N'Golo Kante from Chelsea. Both players have joined the reigning champions, Al-Ittihad, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo.

After signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al Nassr in December, 38-year-old Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo expressed that his move had opened doors for other elite players to join Saudi teams. He stated that more players would follow suit and make the transition to the kingdom.

“I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I’m 38 years old,” ESPN quoted him as saying.

“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.”