Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo emphasized that the Saudi Pro League surpasses the French Ligue 1. Ronaldo, who made this statement following his recognition at the Globe Soccer Awards on January 19, attested to the league’s quality after a year of playing there.
The 36-year-old, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League less than two months after parting ways with Manchester United. Ronaldo’s prolific performance in 2023 saw him score an impressive 44 goals for Al Nassr, ending the year as the world’s top goalscorer when including his goals for Portugal.
Despite never playing in the French Ligue 1, Ronaldo, who has experienced the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, asserted that the Saudi Pro League is more competitive than its French counterpart. He expressed, “To be honest, I think the Saudi championship isn’t worse than the French championship. I think it’s more competitive. They can say what they want; it’s just my opinion. I have played there for a year, so I know what I’m talking about. I think that now we are better than the French championship, and we continue to improve.”
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This isn’t the first time a prominent player moving to the Saudi Pro League has compared it to the French Ligue 1. Neymar, who joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, expressed a similar sentiment in 2023, suggesting that the Saudi Pro League could be superior to the French Ligue 1. Neymar stated, “In my opinion, with the names that have moved to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saudi Pro League is better than France’s Ligue 1.”