One of the best soccer players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, took a subtle swipe at Lionel Messi’s historic decision to take his talents to Major League Soccer.
The most highly anticipated moment in MLS history is nearly here. On July 21, after several years of overtures, flirtations, and negotiations, Lionel Messi will make his MLS debut as a member of Inter Miami FC when they face popular Liga MX side Cruz Azul.
The United States’ top soccer league has been able to draw greats of the sport in the past but they were well past their prime. While the Argentinan sports icon is at the back end of his career, even at 36 he is still an elite player. He proved as much by leading his nation to the 2022 World Cup late last year.
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Messi’s addition to MLS could be a transformative moment that places it closer to the hierarchy of top leagues around the world. However, one of Messi’s long-time rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo, is not impressed by MLS and believes his current home is a far better league than its US counterpart.
The Portuguese legend made headlines earlier this year when he agreed to a massive deal with Al Nassar of the Saudi Professional League that will pay him over $300 million per season. With the league handing out absurd contracts, other stars like Karim Benzema, Marcelo Brozovic, N’Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino have joined Ronaldo in the upstart league.
Cristiano Ronaldo suggests Lionel Messi joined an inferior league compared to SPL
That is why Ronaldo told the media on Tuesday during halftime of Al-Nassar’s preseason game that “The Saudi league is better than MLS.”
“In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year, the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league,” Ronaldo proclaimed.
The SPL reportedly made a very strong push for Lionel Messi after it was made official that his time with Paris Saint Germain was coming to an end. However, the soccer legend rebuffed what was allegedly an offer for close to half a billion per season.
While he did not name Messi specifically, Ronaldo’s comments very much are a shot and his rival’s decision to join MLS. A league he feels is inferior to the league he now plays in. In a way, he is suggesting Messi took less money to face easier competition than he would have gotten in the Saudi Professional League.
It will be interesting to see what league benefits more in the next decade from the addition of the soccer legends.