“European football has lost lot of quality” – Cristiano Ronaldo makes decision on return to Europe
Cristiano Ronaldo has denied the possibility of a return to European football. The Real Madrid legend spoke to the media after Al-Nassr suffered a 5-0 loss to Celta Vigo in a pre-season clash on Tuesday (July 18).
The superstar not only shut the door on a return to Europe but also claimed that he wouldn't play in the MLS. He said (via ESPN):
"The Saudi league is better than MLS. I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here. 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."
Several footballers from Europe have followed the 38-year-old striker and completed a move to the Saudi Pro League. N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema have joined Al-Ittihad, while Marcelo Brozovic will unite with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
Former Premier League stars Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Neves have signed for Al-Hilal, among other top stars flying over to Saudi Arabia.
"I'm 100 percent sure I won't return to any European club. 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," Ronaldo added.
The European Champion in 2016 had a sour finish to his latest stint in the Premier League. In all, he managed just one goal from 10 appearances for Manchester United in England's top flight. After joining Al Nassr in December, he registered 14 goals in 19 games in the Saudi League.
"The plan was for me to play 45 minutes today"- Ronaldo on half-time substitution in pre-season clash
Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to the press after AL-Nassr suffered a 5-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in a pre-season friendly. The former Manchester United forward was taken off at half-time, during which the scores were level.
Speaking about the reasons for coming off at a halfway juncture, the 38-year-old striker said (via ESPN):
"The plan was for me to play 45 minutes today. Against Benfica, I might play 60 or 70 minutes. It is better to fine-tune the machine little by little to reach the best form."
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner's side will take on Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the club's July set of friendlies.