“He could well be right” - Ex-Premier League star says Cristiano Ronaldo is accurate in ranking Saudi League above Ligue 1
Former Premier League winger Demarai Gray has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was right in his assessment that the Saudi Pro League ranked higher than Ligue 1. The 28-year-old, who won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2015-16, now plies his trade for Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq.
Gray formerly played for Leicester City and Everton in the Premier League and Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga. The 28-year-old has claimed that people are wrong to believe that the Saudi Pro League is easier than European leagues.
The Jamaica international has also claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was right to state that the Saudi Pro League is tougher than Ligue 1. He also highlighted the conditions in Saudi Arabia are difficult for players. Gray told FourFourTwo:
"Moving was a big change. The heat in September had me thinking, ‘If it’s like this all year round, I don’t know how long I’ve got left because my tank is empty!’ At first, it was difficult to adapt to the crowds. Sometimes you’ll see games with low attendances, but people who moan don’t understand that if we play on a Sunday, it’s their Monday: a working day."
The former Premier League star added:
"Also, you might think the standard would be really easy for somebody coming from the Premier League, but it’s not as simple as you think. Cristiano Ronaldo said he ranks it higher than Ligue 1, and he could well be right."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi Pro League since his switch to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in December 2022. The Portuguese superstar has been scoring for fun even at the age of 39 and contributed with 44 goals and 13 assists in 45 games last season.
Liverpool icon claims that Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are bigger than the team
Liverpool legend Steve McManaman has claimed that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are bigger than the team. The former England winger explained why the three superstars keep playing for their international side despite their poor form. McManaman said, as quoted by ESPN:
“There’s only certain people in certain teams that are so-called superstars and are effectively bigger than the team. Kylian [Mbappe] is one of them, Cristiano [Ronaldo] is another, Lionel Messi is another. All three of their forms in the respective tournaments have been really poor."
Ronaldo played in his sixth Euro campaign this time out as Portugal crashed out from the quarter-final stage. For the first time in his career, he failed to score a single goal in a European Championship.