July 17th 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo has made a bold statement claiming that the Saudi Pro League is better than Major League Soccer, and that he will never play in Europe again. Last December, the Portuguese superstar made the surprise switch to Al-Nassr after his contract with Manchester United was terminated.
Several other high-profile players have followed in Ronaldo's footsteps this summer, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. However, Lionel Messi chose a different path, opting to leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer earlier this summer and signing with Inter Miami.
Speaking after Al-Nassr were defeated 5-0 by Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly on Monday evening, Ronaldo categorically ruled out a return to European football. When asked about a potential return to a European club, he replied: "No, that door is completely closed. I'm already 38-and-a-half years old and it's not worth it. In my way of seeing football, I think Europe has lost a lot of quality. The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League."
When asked about a possible move to MLS, Ronaldo said: "I think the Saudi league is much better than the United States. My team is Al-Nassr." Ronaldo believes he has been the catalyst for several other players to make the move from Europe to Saudi Arabia this year. He said: "100 per cent. It's a fact. It was going to take a year, but it was six months. 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]."
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