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Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines on Monday after he claimed that the Saudi Pro League where he is playing is better than MLS, sparking talks that he's taking a shot at Lionel Messi who moved to Major League Soccer by joining Inter Miami.
Confident as ever, Ronaldo boldly said that “Saudi league is better than MLS.” He also gave himself a pat in the back by saying that he opened the Saudi Pro League to the whole world when he moved there.
“I'm 100% sure I won't return to any European club. I opened the way to Saudi league… and now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo furthered, per Italian jorunalist Fabrizio Romano.
Of course Ronaldo's take didn't sit well with plenty of fans, including Messi stans, who all said that the former Real Madrid superstar's declaration is just insane and absurd.
“What's blud blabbering about lmfaoo,” Twitter user @LockedInBron exclaimed.
Another critic who goes by the handle @bensonsforjerry said, “I've actually never seen someone at the top level be this insecure. You just know he threw the craziest tantrums on Dec 18th.”
A third critic (@JS_10Majors) put it in a better perspective, highlighting the value of the clubs in the MLS and Saudi Pro League: “The least valuable squad in MLS is worth more than the 5th most valuable squad in Saudi. Every single USL club (2nd division in US) is worth more than the least valuable Saudi team. The Public Investment Fund buying 10 players doesn't make up for a country full of shit players.”
Several fans also noted that Cristiano Ronaldo might just be jealous of Lionel Messi since he remains relevant, especially after his Inter Miami move.
“This is a very odd statement about the MLS. I wonder if it has anything to do with the World Cup winner Lionel Messi stealing all of the headlines for joining Inter Miami,” another critic @RoyNemer shared.
“He's so obsessed with Messi it’s unreal,” @LunihanV1 added.
Sure enough, Ronaldo also got some supporters who agreed with his take. The common argument for many is the fact that many players from the European top-flight opted to go to Saudi as well. However, it's hard to identify how much of that is because of the massive amount of money that Saudi Pro League clubs are offering to lure players to join them over the desire for more competition.
“Bants aside, we all know Cristiano Ronaldo paved the way for top players to join Saudi League and he's 100% right that the League is a million mile better than MLS,” a Ronaldo fan @_AsiwajuLerry commented.
“Ain't wrong is he? They've signed more high profile players in a year than the MLS in the last 10. That lot are killing their own league with a wage limit. Hope this helps,” another commenter @MikeLUHG2 added.
Whatever the case may be, though, Messi might want to prove Ronaldo wrong as he looks to make his mark in MLS.
Lionel Messi's MLS Debut Coming Soon
Cristiano Ronaldo's claim aside, it still won't affect the excitement of fans to see Lionel Messi make his debut in the MLS.
Messi is already in South Beach and made his signing with Inter Miami official over the weekend. Now, he is slated to make his debut with the team soon, with talks that he could suit up on Friday in the Leagues Cup against Mexican side Cruz Azul.
“I am very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project, and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it very much. We are going to have a good time, and great things are going to happen. Thank you very much, thank you all for this day,” Messi said about moving to MLS and joining Inter Miami during his introductions on Sunday.
“I can't wait to start training to compete. I feel the same desire I've always had to compete, to really want to win and to help it [Miami] continue to grow.”
The Argentine World Cup winner seemingly confirmed that debut date as well with an Instagram post, saying “See you Friday.”
It won't be easy and cheap to watch Messi's first game with Inter Miami, however. After all, prices for the game against Cruz Azul is already going for massive amounts. As reported earlier, tickets for the game are selling for as much as $110,000.
There are cheaper options, with the average ticket price at $487. However, that is still quite pricey for an MLS game that has yet to really hit popularity in the US.
