Courtesy: X
During the recently concluded Globe Soccer Awards 2024 event in Dubai, Cristiano Ronaldo made a few bold statements about the world of football, claiming that the Saudi Pro League is better than the French Ligue 1, while also highlighting that hot temperatures make it tougher to play in the Middle Eastern country. In response, the official X account of the French Ligue 1 in Spanish shared a post of “GOAT” Lionel Messi kissing the FIFA World Cup trophy from 2022, while talking about how he won it in 38°C in Qatar.
Apart from calling out the French Ligue 1, Cristiano Ronaldo was also very critical of the Ballon d’Or, the prestigious football award in France, calling them biased in an indirect way. The Portuguese footballer was given the Middle East Best Player award for the year 2024 at the Globe Soccer Awards, organised by his agent George Mendes, apart from getting honoured as the all-time top goal-scorer in the history of football.
The French league? Of course (it is worse): Cristiano Ronaldo
While speaking about the competitiveness of Saudi Pro League, where he plays for Al-Nassr currently, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked about his previous comments about comparing this league with the French Ligue 1. In response, he said, as per World Soccer Talk, “The French league? Of course (it is worse). I don’t say that because I play there. They should go there and play there, to see. To run in 38, 39, 40 degrees and sprint a few times, just to see how they’re going to be. Don’t believe in my words - go there and see.”
The official X account of French Ligue 1 in Spanish didn’t like the criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo in regards to the better climate for football in France in relation to Saudi Arabia, and they shared a post, with a caption, “Leo Messi playing in 38 degrees.” It led to their comments section of the post getting filled with Ronaldo and Messi fans trying to outdo each other, which is the name of the game as far as the social media is concerned.
