Cristiano Ronaldo told Ligue 1 "deserves more respect", with the Al-Nassr star informed that only "two or three" Saudi teams could compete in France.
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Portuguese claimed Saudi league is betterComments sparked lively debateRemy disagrees with all-time greatFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo ruffled feathers at the Globe Soccer Awards in December 2024 when saying: "The Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1, of course. I'm not saying that because I play here. I don't care what people think about it. Players should come here and they will see quickly. Just try to do sprints at 38, 39, 40 degrees… Come and you will see. If you don't believe me, come. In France, they only have PSG, everyone else is finished. Nobody can beat them because they have the most money and the best players."
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Prominent personalities with links to the French top-flight have bitten back at Ronaldo since then, with his comments considered to be loaded with bias – given that he is working in the Middle East on the most lucrative contract in world football.
GettyWHAT LOIC REMY SAID
Former France international Loic Remy has now added his opinion to the lively debate, with the ex-Marseille and Lille striker telling : "I respect Cristiano Ronaldo as a man and for his career, but I think the French league deserves more respect. When I left France and went back four years later I was shocked by how much it had improved, I saw a massive improvement. Now the quality both technically and tactically is even higher, you can see by some of the results the French teams have had in the Champions League.
"I can’t say a lot about Saudi because I have never played there, but I think the top two or three teams might compete in France, not the rest of them."
WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?
Ronaldo has been distanced from links to Paris Saint-Germain and a bizarre move to French third tier outfit Versailles. The evergreen 40-year-old, who is in the process of chasing down 1,000 career goals, is said to have agreed an extension to his record-breaking deal at Al-Nassr.