No going back as Cristiano Ronaldo closes door on return to Europe, says Saudi beats MLS
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Cristiano Ronaldo said most European leagues were in decline.
PHOTO: AFP
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RIYADH – Cristiano Ronaldo said there is no chance of him playing club football in Europe again and that the Saudi Arabian league is better than Major League Soccer (MLS), where his great rival Lionel Messi has chosen to begin the next chapter in his career.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in December on a 2½-year contract worth over €200 million (S$297.3 million) following his exit from Manchester United, said he had paved the way for other top players to sign with Saudi teams
The 38-year-old Portugal captain, speaking after Al-Nassr’s 5-0 loss to Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly on Monday, said most European leagues were in decline.
“I’m 100 per cent 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.
“The Spanish league does not have that great quality. The Portuguese league is a good league, but it is not a top, top league. The German league has also lost a lot. I’m sure I won’t play in Europe again. I want to play in Saudi Arabia.”
Ronaldo’s long-time rival Messi was also linked with a move to Saudi Arabia before the Argentinian World Cup winner completed a transfer to MLS side Inter Miami, signing a deal until 2025.
He said: “The Saudi league is better than MLS. 100 per cent. It’s a fact... I was wrong for six months. But I knew this was going to happen because in the Italian league, when I went there, it was also dead and then rejuvenated.
“Where Cristiano goes, it generates greater interest and I knew it was going to be like that. I’m sure that next season, more stars will go there (to Saudi Arabia).”
Ronaldo credited himself for the rise of the Saudi Pro League.
He said: “They criticised me for coming to Saudi league, but what happened now? I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.
“My decision to join Saudi clubs was 100 per cent crucial to bring in new top players. It’s a fact.
“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.
“Players who arrived aren’t like what the president of the European (football) union said. Jota and (Ruben) Neves are young players.”
Ronaldo’s compatriots Jota, 24, and Neves, 26, have joined Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal respectively.
Several high-profile players have followed Ronaldo to the Saudi league, including Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid and N’Golo Kante from Chelsea, who both joined champions Al-Ittihad.
Not that MLS commissioner Don Garber is worried. He said: “I’ve seen it happen with China, and I wasn’t concerned about that any more than I’m concerned about what’s happening in Saudi Arabia. It’s quite the opposite.”
MLS has appeal to both domestic and global audiences, Garber said, touting the league’s broadcasts in other languages. Already, games are broadcast in Spanish and French. He added: “The fact that we can spread the power and influence of professional football around the world, I think, gives us all who are in emerging markets an opportunity.
“There will be more opportunity for us to be very, very targeted to specific audiences, whether that’s in Portuguese or other languages.
“When you have the best player of all time making Major League Soccer his league of choice, I think it’s a real testament as to where MLS is and where it’s going in the years ahead.” REUTERS
