Saudi League Archives

Cristiano Ronaldo terms Saudi League ‘better’ than Major League Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, asserted that Saudi League “is better” than the Major League Soccer (MLS) and that he has no plans to play in the United States nor to return to Europe.

Ronaldo spoke to the media after featuring in Al-Nassr’s 0-5 defeat to La Liga side Celta Vigo in the pre-season friendly in Portugal.

The Portuguese superstar, when asked about whether he is planning to join his great rival Lionel Messi in the United States, said Saudi League is better and it will continue to grow with the arrival of more prominent names.

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” said Ronaldo.

“Now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo said. “In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”

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

Notably, numerous top players made a move to Saudi Arabia after Cristiano Ronaldo’s shocking yet huge deal with Al Nassr estimated at 200 million euros.

Top amongst them was Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who left Real Madrid at the end of the 2022-23 season and joined Ronaldo’s Al Nassr’s rival club Al-Ittihad.

Furthermore, N’Golo Kante from Chelsea also joined Benzema in Al-Ittihad.

Notably, Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi had also been in talks with Saudi Arabia prior to his deal with MLS club Inter Miami.

The Argentine World Cup winner inked the deal with Inter Miami this week on a contract which binds him to stay with the club till 2025.

Following his deal, “America’s number 10” Lionel Messi was unveiled at Inter Miami in a glittering ceremony at Miami’s 20,000-capacity stadium, which was close to full despite a huge thunderstorm just before the event.

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Ronaldo says Saudi League can be among top five leagues in the world

RIYADH: Saudi Pro League has the potential to become a top-five league in the world if they can rope in more big names, said star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just completed his first season at the Saudi League after an extravagant deal with Al Nassr in December last year, maintained he enjoyed his time in the Gulf nation and confirmed that he “will continue with the team” next season.

“I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here,” Ronaldo said in an interview with the SPL.

“And in my opinion if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top-five league in the world,” he added.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner asserted that if more renowned faces joined the league, it would take the league’s status to new heights.

“If they are coming, big players and big names, young players, ‘old players’, they are very welcome because if that happens, the league will improve,” stated the 38-year-old.

Ronaldo’s assertion came amid heated speculations about Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric’s prospective moves to the Saudi League.

World Cup winner Messi is all set to leave PSG after their last Ligue 1 fixture on Saturday, confirms the team’s coach Christophe Galtier on Thursday.

The Argentinian forward is likely to play in Saudi Arabia next season under a very lucrative deal, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP.

Similarly, Ronaldo’s former teammates at Real Madrid, Benzema and Modric, are also believed to be closing in on attractive deals from Saudi clubs.

“The league is very good but I think we have many opportunities to still grow. The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players.” added Ronaldo, who holds the records for most international goals and appearances.

“But they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure. Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker.” he concluded.

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SACF chairman hosts Wasim Akram to discuss starting Saudi league

RIYADH: Former Pakistan captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram met Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation (SACF) chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud here to discuss promoting the sport in the kingdom and to introduce their cricket league.

Saudi Arabia, well-known for their love for Football, shook the world when their national side stunned star footballer Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the group fixture of last year’s FIFA World Cup.

The side, however, failed to make it to the Round of 32 but indicated a promising future ahead for the kingdom in the most popular sport.

The football-crazed Kingdom, however, has turned its attention towards cricket as Saudi Prince Saud Mishal held a meeting with legendary pacer Akram in a bid to promote the sport and also discussed the potential of starting a new cricket league.

Following their meeting, the Saudi Prince also honoured the legendary pacer with a custom jersey.

Taking to Facebook, the legendary pacer shared a picture of him and Saudi Prince Saud Mishal posing with the jersey and thanked the Saudi prince for the gift and expressed his excitement for the upcoming Saudi league.

“What a trip to Riyadh had a great meeting with HH Saudmishal and talked about cricket in Saudi Arabia and so looking forward to starting a Saudi league Insha Allah very soon and thanks for this lovely gift, your highness. Hopefully, see you soon,” wrote Akram.

It is pertinent to mention that Akram, who is the President of the most followed franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Karachi Kings will continue to coach the former champions in the upcoming eighth edition of the marquee league, scheduled to commence on February 13 in Multan.

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