On Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded Best Player in the Middle East at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony. During his acceptance, the Al-Nassr forward expressed gratitude for the honor and emphasized the competitive nature of the Saudi Pro League, claiming it surpasses most European leagues, including Ligue 1. However, the French tournament was quick to respond, mocking CR7 with a comparison to Lionel Messi.
In his speech, Ronaldo praised the competitive level of the Saudi Pro League, asserting, “Saudi Arabia’s league is much better than the French league. In France, there is only PSG, the rest don’t compete.” He then elaborated on why he believes the Saudi Pro League is more challenging, saying, “They should go and play there to see what it’s like—running in 39/40º (about 102.2 °F) heat and let them try it out.”
Ligue 1 wasted no time in reacting. On its official X account in Spanish, the league posted an image of Messi with the World Cup, accompanied by the caption, “Leo Messi playing with 38 degrees,” along with three emojis: an Argentine flag, a star, and a goat—a reference to Messi’s status as “the Greatest of All Time.”
The rivalry between the two superstars, spanning nearly two decades, has been marked by extraordinary success on both sides. While both have crafted legacies that will be remembered for generations, Messi’s World Cup triumph with Argentina in Qatar 2022 (in conditions similarly scorching to those in Saudi Arabia) remains a feat Ronaldo has yet to achieve with Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s experience in Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in Saudi Arabia for two years, having left Manchester United in December 2022 to join Al-Nassr, who were leading the Pro League at the time. However, during his first six months, Al-Nassr were unable to maintain their position and finished as runners-up to Al-Ittihad.
Ronaldo’s first full season in the Saudi Pro League (2023-24) ended similarly in disappointment, with Al-Hilal claiming the championship and Al-Nassr once again finishing second. The current season has shown little improvement, with Al-Ittihad leading the table, followed by Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiya. Cristiano’s team sits fourth, 11 points behind the leaders.
Ronaldo’s critique of Ligue 1: Valid or not?
While much of the attention surrounding Ronaldo’s comments has focused on the jabs and counter-jabs, there is some validity to his criticism of Ligue 1. In recent years, the French league has struggled to produce teams capable of challenging Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance. PSG have been the league’s champion in 10 of the last 12 seasons, with AS Monaco (2017) and Lille (2021) being the only exceptions.
At the European level, French clubs have faced similar challenges. Despite PSG’s financial power and dominance domestically, they have only reached one UEFA Champions League final, in 2020, and have yet to win the prestigious competition. The last (and only) French club to win the Champions League was Olympique de Marseille, in 1993.