Cristiano Ronaldo has said that Saudi Pro League is better than Major League Soccer and with Lionel Messi's dominance in the US, has the Portuguese star scored any points?
Lionel Messi has dominated MLS since his arrival - which partly proves Cristiano Ronaldo's point.
The 36-year-old has signed with Inter Miami on a free transfer after his contract with French champions PSG expired. It is the biggest transfer in league history since David Beckham moved from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy in 2007.
In just five games, the World Cup champion has scored eight goals for his new club and sent them into the semi-finals of the League Cup. The Argentinian's move to the United States has so far proved to be a game of paradise, but his dramatic departure perhaps proves Ronaldo's argument that the Saudi Pro League is a league. more competitive than MLS.
Last month, the Portugal international said:
“The Saudi league is better than the MLS, now all the players come here. In a year, other top players will go to Saudi Arabia. I paved the way for the Saudi Arabian league, and now all the players are here."
The fact that Messi easily dominates MLS cannot dispel Ronaldo's claims. The Argentinian icon has done things his way so far in the League Cup against other MLS teams, leading to accusations that he has shown the standards set in the US compared to the best leagues other in the world. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, two of Messi's Barcelona teammates, have traveled with him to Inter Miami, and other big names like Itsry Henry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney have joined MLS in the past. But those comments from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner proved to be true, as some of Europe's top footballers made trips to the Middle East this year.
Ronaldo's former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema, Premier League legends Roberto Firmino and N'Golo Kante, and Ronaldo's current Al Nassr team-mate Sadio Mane have all left European football to live in Saudi Arabia. The latest big name to join the tournament is Neymar, who will complete Al-Hilal's move from French champions PSG in a deal worth £86m.
After a successful medical examination, the Brazilian player will sign a two-year contract with the team based in Riyadh. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored 20 goals in 25 games since joining Al Nassr on New Year's Day. The last time he played for the club was on Saturday in the final of the Arab Clubs Cup and scored twice to help his side win 2-1 when he was down to nine men.
He did not feature in the club's opening match of the new Saudi Pro League season today, in which they were beaten 2-1 by Al-Ettifaq. Messi, on the other hand, has inspired Inter Miami to five straight wins, after winning none of their previous 11 games.
The football magician is yet to make his league debut but faces a big challenge when he does. The club are entrenched at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference table with just 18 points from just 5 wins, and will need more Messi's magic to revive them from the bottom of the table.
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