Cristiano Ronaldo’s assertion on Saudi Pro League sparks criticism from fellow Portuguese coach

Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner now playing in the Middle East, claims that his current league is not inferior to the French league.

Cristiano Ronaldo Faces Backlash
Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient, who relocated to the Middle East in January 2023, contends that the league he presently competes in is “not inferior to the French league.” While he has significantly boosted the profile of Al-Nassr and Saudi football, his recent remarks have raised eyebrows in Europe.

Former French international Laure Boulleau has accused Ronaldo of possessing a “significant ego” and suggests that he criticizes Ligue 1 only “because Lionel Messi played here.” Messi spent two years at Paris Saint-Germain before joining MLS side Inter Miami.

Fonseca, the current manager of Lille, has addressed the contentious comments made by his compatriot. When asked about the validity of Ronaldo’s claims, the former Porto and Roma coach stated, “I don’t think it’s good what he said. I don’t want to make a comparison. If he feels happy in Saudi Arabia, I’m happy for him. There are things that don’t deserve to be answered. I’m wasting my time answering them. These statements are part of it. I think intelligent people will understand why he made this statement.”

Ronaldo, who achieved success in England, Spain, and Italy, continues to shine in the Middle East at the age of 38. The evergreen forward recorded an impressive 54 goals across his appearances for both club and country in 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Forwarder, Midfielder

PortugalPortugal

Age: 39

188 cm

83 kg

Season 2023/2024
Played 2 1 Missed
Minutes 202 101.0 Avg
Goals 1 0.5 Avg
Assist 0 0.0 Avg
Attempt 8 4.0 Avg
Passes 64 32.075.0% AvgSucc
Yellow 1 0.5 Avg
Red 0 0.0 Avg

This season he played in total 18 times for 1616 minutes for Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo  scored 19 goals for Al Nassr. He procured 9 assists. He received 1 yellow card and no red cards.

His team is currently 2nd in Pro League. In the last match Al Nassr won 4-1 against Al Taawon. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Fateh.

Al Nassr performance and stats

Al Nassr

Manager: Luís Ribeiro de Castro
Rank 2nd
Win 23
Draw 2
Loss 4
Goals 84-35
Diff 49

It will be Al Nassr ended the league in the 2nd position with 46 points.

In the last 19 games, it has won 15 times, drawn once, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Al Nassr won 1-4 against Al Taawon.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 55 goals and conceding 23.​

Al Nassr will play the next match in Pro League against Al Fateh on Wednesday 14th of February in Riyadh.​