Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s own move to the Middle East, a wave of high-profile players has followed suit this summer, with stars like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard among those making the transition to the Saudi Pro League.
After his team, Al-Nassr, suffered a 5-0 defeat against Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly on Monday evening, Ronaldo expressed his strong conviction that a return to European football is out of the question for him. At 38-and-a-half years old, he believes it’s not worth considering.
In Ronaldo’s perspective, several European leagues have experienced a drop in quality. The only league he sees as possessing significant quality and being at a higher level than the others is the Premier League. He expressed his belief that the Spanish league lacks the same level of greatness, while the Portuguese league, although good, doesn’t rank as a top-tier league. Furthermore, he opined that the German league has also experienced a decline in quality. In light of these views, Ronaldo stated that he is certain he won’t be playing in Europe again, setting his sights firmly on Saudi Arabia as his preferred footballing destination.
When questioned about the possibility of a move to Major League Soccer (MLS), Ronaldo dismissed the idea, stating that, in his opinion, the Saudi league far surpasses the United States’ league in terms of quality. He emphasized his loyalty to his current team, Al-Nassr, asserting that the Saudi Pro League is where he intends to continue his football journey.
Beyond his personal decisions, Ronaldo also believes that his own move to Saudi Arabia has acted as a catalyst for other players making similar transitions from Europe to the Middle East this year.
