Eko Hot Blog reports that football superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has boasted that top players in Europe are moving to the Saudi Arabia clubs because of him.
Ronaldo joined Saudi side, Al Nassr, in January following an acrimonious departure after his second stint at Manchester United.
Speaking with reporters Monday evening after playing the first half of Al Nassr’s 5-0 preseason loss to LaLiga side Celta Vigo in his native Portugal, Ronaldo said his move to Saudi Pro League made the competition much more attractive to fellow professional footballers.
“My decision to join a Saudi club was 100% crucial to bring in new top players. It’s a fact,” the former Real Madrid player said.
Ronaldo, who was substituted at half-time with the score tied 0-0, added: “I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”
He also noted that the Saudi Pro League “is better” than MLS and that he has no plans to play in the United States.
“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” the Portugal star said when asked about making a move to the U.S. like his former rival in Spain Lionel Messi, who was unveiled as an Inter Miami CF player on Sunday.
Ronaldo noted that he also “revived” the Italian Seria A, which was “dead” before he moved to the league.
“When I joined Juventus, Serie A was dead and after I signed… it was revived. Wherever Cristiano goes he generates higher interest,” the five-time Ballon D’or winner said.
Ronaldo, the Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer, also said his days of playing in Europe are over and that he believes the level of play there has dropped in recent years.
“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.”
Already this summer, a number of high-profile players have indeed followed Ronaldo’s lead, with Karim Benzema, Marcelo Brozovic, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Roberto Firmino all signing deals to play in the Saudi Pro League.
Former Inter Milan player Brozovic was on the field with Ronaldo on Monday after joining Al Nassr on July 3.
“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,” Ronaldo added.
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