Cristiano Ronaldo shades MLS, Euro soccer with Saudi league praise

Cristiano Ronaldo has no plans of ever playing in the MLS, and the global soccer superstar had no problem taking a swipe at the league. 

Ronaldo attempted to boost the Saudi Pro League, diss MLS and take a shot at European soccer while speaking with reporters after a preseason appearance for Al Nassar.

The Saudi club, which Ronaldo signed with in January, was playing an exhibition match against La Liga side Celta Vigo. 

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo told reporters, according to ESPN, after he was subbed out after the first half of the match. 

The Portuguese footballer had been asked about his thoughts on ever going to the United States to play in the MLS when he gave the answer.

Major League Soccer and Inter Miami have garnered headlines across the world after it was able to sign superstar Lionel Messi. 

Messi spurned the Saudi Pro League’s reported offer of a $400 million-a-year deal and instead opted for the struggling MLS club partially owned by David Beckham. 

That didn’t appear to impress Ronaldo much as he not only insulted MLS, but also disapproved of the sport’s direction in Europe. 

“I’m 100 percent sure I won’t return to any European club,” said Ronaldo, who played Manchester United and Real Madrid during his career.

“I’m 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”

Whether or not the Saudi league will prove to be a real challenger to the world’s top soccer leagues is still several years down the road. However, backed by large financial investments from the Saudi government, the league has managed to lure some of the game’s biggest stars there. 

Karim Benzema, Marcelo Brozovic, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino have all made the jump to play in Saudi Arabia this summer. 

“I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo said.

Despite that, MLS commissioner Don Garber told reporters during Messi’s introductory event in Miami on Sunday that he wasn’t worried about the Saudi league poaching talent. 

“You know, it’s not just about Europe, right? It’s about here. So I’m not threatened by that at all,” Garber 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.”