Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t hold back: “The Saudi Pro League is already in the world’s Top 5″… ahead of Ligue 1.
Never shy about speaking his mind, CR7 once again defended the Saudi league while taking a not-so-subtle jab at the French Ligue 1.
In a video posted by his club Al-Nassr, the Portuguese star confirmed he will stay until 2027, citing the growing competitiveness of the Saudi Pro League.
“Is the SPL better than Ligue 1? Easy. Of course. I’m not saying this because I play there. I don’t care what people say. Come and try sprinting in 38, 39, 40 degrees… Sweat it out. Come play here and you’ll see. Don’t believe me? Come. I don’t care what people think. France only has PSG. The rest are done. They play, okay, but PSG is stronger and has better players. That’s a fact. I don’t know why people are surprised,” he said.
This echoes what he said at the Globe Soccer Awards in late 2024: “France only has PSG. The rest are done… Come play here and you’ll see.”
Pogba, Giroud back in Ligue 1 to prove CR7 wrong?
And Ronaldo doubled down: “People who say the Saudi Pro League isn’t in the top five don’t know football.”
A bold, deliberate message from CR7, who sees Saudi Arabia as a long-term footballing project aiming for the 2034 World Cup—what he calls “the greatest of all time.”
But is it just provocation or a valid take?
Recent signs point the other way: stars like Pogba and Giroud are returning to Ligue 1, not flocking to Saudi Arabia—some players (like Dhurha) are even leaving the SPL.
Whether CR7 likes it or not, Ligue 1 still has something to say.
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