Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo made a startling claim after he said that the Saudi Professional League is better than United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS).
The statement comes after Ronaldo’s long-time rival Lionel Messi was snapped up by MLS side Inter Miami.
Ronaldo also said that he doesn’t plan on returning to European leagues in the future.
“Saudi League is better than the MLS. I'm 100% 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,” Ronaldo was quoted as saying by ESPN.
“I won’t return to European football, that door is completed closed. I’m 38-year-old, also European football has lost a lot of quality.
“The only league for me that has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League.”
Ronaldo signed for Saudi club Al Nassr in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros in December last year. The Portuguese penned a contract which will take him to June 2025.
He notched up 14 goals in 16 games this season but it could not help his side claim the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title, with Al Nassr finishing second behind Al Ittihad.
Ronaldo headed to the Gulf after being relegated to the bench for Portugal and cut adrift by Manchester United in 2022.
United parted ways with the Portuguese star after the veteran forward gave an explosive TV interview in which he said he felt "betrayed" by the club and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag.
United terminated his contract while Ronaldo was with Portugal at the last year’s FIFA Football World Cup.
Earlier, Ronaldo also said that he was enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia.
"We have very good teams, very good Arab players, but the infrastructure - they need to improve a little bit more. Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker," Ronaldo said in an SPL interview.
"But I'm happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here."