After participating in Al Nassr’s 5-0 preseason defeat against Celta Vigo in Portugal, Al Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo stated that the Saudi Pro League surpasses Major League Soccer (MLS) and expressed his lack of interest in playing in the United States or returning to a European team.
During a media interview, Ronaldo emphasized, “The Saudi league is better than MLS,” when asked about the possibility of a move to the U.S., similar to his former rival Lionel Messi, who recently joined Inter Miami CF.
Having been substituted at half-time during the match with the score tied 0-0, Ronaldo further commented, “I paved the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”
Indeed, several high-profile players have followed Ronaldo’s lead this summer. Karim Benzema, Marcelo Brozovic, N’Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino have all signed deals to play in the Saudi Pro League. Brozovic, a former Inter Milan player, joined Al Nassr on July 3 and was on the field alongside Ronaldo during the match.
Ronaldo expressed his belief that within a year, more top players would join the Saudi league, surpassing the Turkish and Dutch leagues in terms of quality.
Regarding a potential return to a European club, Ronaldo firmly stated, “I’m 100 percent sure I won’t return to any European club.” He cited his age of 38 and claimed that European football has experienced a decline in quality, with the Premier League being the only league still performing well and being significantly ahead of others.
The match against Celta Vigo marked the first game under Rafa Benitez’s management, the former coach of Valencia and Liverpool, who was hired by Celta Vigo in June after the team’s 13th-place finish in LaLiga last season.
Al Nassr will have their second friendly match in Portugal on Thursday against domestic champions Benfica. Ronaldo mentioned that his playing time will likely increase to 60 or 70 minutes in that match, as the team aims to gradually fine-tune their form and reach their peak performance level.
Source – myjoyonline.com
