Saudi League Is Superior to MLS: Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that there was no chance of him playing club football in Europe again and that Major League Soccer, where his fierce rival Lionel Messi has opted to start his professional career, was superior than the Saudi Arabian league.

After leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo signed a two and a half year contract with Al Nassr. He claimed to have helped other elite players join Saudi teams and predicted that more would follow.

After Al Nassr's 5-0 loss to Celta Vigo in a preseason friendly on Monday, the 38-year-old Portugal captain said that most European leagues were in decline.

"I am positive that I won't join another European club. I'm 38 years old," he said, according to ESPN.

"European football has suffered greatly in terms of quality. The (English) Premier League is the only one that is legitimate and still operating well. They are far superior to all other leagues.

Prior to completing a transfer to MLS team Inter Miami and signing a contract through 2025, Messi, a longtime rival of Ronaldo, was also mentioned as having interest in moving to Saudi Arabia.

"The Saudi league is better than MLS," Ronaldo said.

"Now all the players are coming here ... In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia."

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.