Cristiano Ronaldo says Saudi football league more competitive than France’s top division

​​​​​​​ANKARA (AA) – Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has played for Al-Nassr since 2023, says that the Saudi football league is better and more competitive than the French top-tier Ligue 1 division.

“The French league? Easy… I don’t care what people are thinking. But they should go there (Saudi Arabia) to play and see and run in a 38 and 39 or 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and sprint a few times to see,” Ronaldo said during the 2024 Globe Soccer Dubai Awards.

“All in France is PSG (Paris Saint-Germain). The rest is finished,” said the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star.

“The other ones (in the French league) compete. But PSG is the strongest. Nobody can compete with them. They have better players. The (Paris) club has more money. This is a fact.”

Ronaldo made similar remarks in January.

“In the French league, I think you have two or three teams with a good level. The Saudi league is more competitive. I’ve played there for one year. So I know what I am talking about. But I think right now we (The Saudi league) are better than the French league. We are still improving” the EURO 2016 champion with Portugal said earlier this year.

Ronaldo said Friday that in the Saudi league, there has been “huge” progress in terms of football investment.

“I am so happy to be there. The (Saudi) league is still growing. Many players moved there. The infrastructure is still improving and getting better (in Saudi Arabia),” he said.

Ronaldo, who is a five-time UEFA Champions League and five-time Ballon d’Or winner, was named the Best Middle East Player of the Year during the Globe Soccer Dubai Awards, and he also secured the Top Goal Scorer of All Time award.