Tag: Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo: Saudi league is better than MLS

After Messi’s move to MLS, Ronaldo unsurprisingly had some thoughts

After his longtime rival Lionel Messi completed a move to MLS, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t help but offer his assessment of the North American top flight.

In comments that will surprise no one, the Al Nassr striker said he believes the Saudi Pro League is superior to the league Messi now calls home.

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo told a press conference after he was asked about the chance of following Messi to North America.

Speaking after Al Nassr fell 5-0 to Celta Vigo in a preseason friendly, Ronaldo claimed some credit for being the first of what now seems to be a constant stream of big-name players moving to the Saudi league.

“I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here,” the Portugal star said.

He added: “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.”

While he ruled out the possibility of moving to MLS, Ronaldo also emphasized that after a record-filled run with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, he will not be returning to Europe.

“I’m 100 percent sure I won’t return to any European club,” Ronaldo said. “I’m 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”

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Ronaldo becomes world’s highest-paid athlete after Saudi move. Will Messi follow him?

The Al Nassr star is back atop the list for the first time since 2017. But his stay may be short lived

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, according to Forbes.

The publication released its list of the 10 highest-paid athletes for 2023, which was topped by Ronaldo for the first time since 2017. Lionel Messi came in second and Kylian Mbappé was third.

The trio were the only soccer players on the list, and all draw their huge salaries from Middle Eastern countries. Messi and Mbappé are teammates at Qatari-owned PSG.

Except, not for long! Widespread reports on Wednesday stated that Messi would be leaving PSG at the end of the season when his contract expires. The divorce has been in the works for a while, but was sped up when PSG suspended Messi on Tuesday for an unauthorized trip to — you guessed it — Saudi Arabia.

Messi’s next trip to Saudi Arabia could see him regain his spot atop the Forbes list in 2024. The Telegraph reported that Messi’s representatives are in talks with the Saudi government — for which Messi is already a paid spokesperson — over a deal to bring him to the Saudi Pro League that would be worth a total of $400 million per year.

That would dwarf Ronaldo’s total package of an estimated $136 million.

In a very related story, golfers Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson also appear on the Forbes list after leaving the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Forbes Top 10 money list in 2023

1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($136 million)
2. Lionel Messi ($130m)
3. Kylian Mbappé ($120m)
4. LeBron James ($119.5m)
5. Canelo Álvarez ($110m)
6. Dustin Johnson ($107m)
7. Phil Mickelson ($106m)
8. Stephen Curry ($100.4m)
9. Roger Federer ($95.1m)
10. Kevin Durant ($89.1m)

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Cristiano Ronaldo almost decapitated a man and only got a yellow card

The Al Nassr star went full WWE in Tuesday’s game

Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia to make lots and lots of money of course, but he also would like to win some silverware.

And as that possibility begins to slip away, the Portuguese forward is starting to look a little frustrated.

As the Saudi Pro League reaches the business end of its campaign, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr side suffered a damaging 2-0 loss to Al Hilal on Tuesday.

The loss drops Al Nassr to three points behind first-place Al Ittihad, which now has a game in hand. The frustration of dropping three vital points appeared to get the best of Ronaldo in one particular second-half incident, which appeared to come straight out of WWE.

Al Hilal defender Gustavo Cuéllar was shielding Ronaldo off the ball, and the Portugal star’s solution was to simply wrap both arms around Cuéllar’s neck and attempt to separate his head from his body.

Referee Michael Oliver (yes, that Michael Oliver) decided that Ronaldo’s transgression was only worth a yellow card — a generous interpretation of the law, but one that wouldn’t help Al Nassr much on the night.

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