Al Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo said the Saudi Pro League “is better” than MLS and that he has no plans to play in the United States or return to a team in Europe.
Ronaldo was speaking to the media after playing the first half of Al Nassr’s 5-0 preseason loss to LaLiga side Celta Vigo in his native Portugal.
“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” the Portugal star said when asked about making a move to the U.S. like his former rival in Spain Lionel Messi, who was unveiled as an Inter Miami CF player on Sunday.
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.”
Already this summer, a number of high-profile players have indeed followed Ronaldo’s lead, with Karim Benzema, Marcelo Brozovic, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino all signing deals to play in the Saudi Pro League.
Former Inter Milan player Brozovic was on the field with Ronaldo on Monday after joining Al Nassr on July 3.
“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.
“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.”
The game was also the first in charge at Celta Vigo for former Valencia and Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez, who was hired by the Spanish club in June following a 13th-place finish in LaLiga last season.
Al Nassr will play their second friendly in Portugal on Thursday, taking on domestic champions Benfica.
“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.”
Latest Stories
-
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to take King’s oath
20 mins -
Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
32 mins -
Providing quality seeds to farmers is first step towards achieving food security in Ghana
42 mins -
COP29: Africa urged to invest in youth to lead fight against climate change
2 hours -
How Kenya’s evangelical president has fallen out with churches
2 hours -
‘Restoring forests or ravaging Ghana’s green heritage?’ – Coalition questions Akufo-Addo’s COP 29 claims
2 hours -
Give direct access to Global Health Fund – Civil Society calls allocations
4 hours -
Trudeau plays Santa with seasonal tax break
4 hours -
Prince Harry jokes in tattoo sketch for Invictus
4 hours -
Akufo-Addo commissions 200MW plant to boost economic growth
4 hours -
Smallholder farmers to make use of Ghana Commodity Exchange
4 hours -
I want to focus more on my education – Chidimma Adetshina quits pageantry
5 hours -
Priest replaced after Sabrina Carpenter shoots music video in his church
5 hours -
Duct-taped banana artwork sells for $6.2m in NYC
5 hours -
Arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas commander over alleged war crimes
5 hours