“How can he pass judgement?” - Cristiano Ronaldo questioned by Ligue 1 coach after comparison between Saudi league and French top division
Stade Brestois' Eric Roy was one of several Ligue 1 managers to express their displeasure with Cristiano Ronaldo's recent comparison between the Saudi Pro League and the French top division.
Speaking to the media, Roy stated he was not disagreeing with the former Manchester United star, but wanted to understand how he could comment on it without having played in France. He said (via GFFN):
"It's not that I don't agree but Cristiano Ronaldo has never played in Ligue 1. How can he pass judgment?"
Under Roy's tutelage, Brest are third in Ligue 1, nine points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Girondin de Bordeaux's Albert Riera echoed the same sentiments and stated:
"I can't understand how he can say that in front of his television, without having ever played here."
Meanwhile, Paulo Fonseca, the Lille manager, was not happy with the comments. He took a subtle shot at the former Real Madrid star and hinted that it could have something to do with his rivalry with Lionel Messi. He said:
"There is no need to make a comparison. I don't think what he said is good. There are things that aren't worthy of my time to respond to. This statement is one of those things. I think that intelligent people will understand why he made this statement."
Lionel Messi played in France with PSG from 2021 to 2023, winning the league title in both seasons.
What did Cristiano Ronaldo say about Ligue 1?
Cristiano Ronaldo was at the Globe Soccer Awards last week and was quizzed about the level of the Saudi Pro League. He claimed that the Middle Eastern league was on par with Ligue 1, if not ahead, and added that it was more competitive as more teams were involved in the title race.
Ronaldo said (via ESPN):
"The level right now? To be honest, I think the Saudi league is not worse than France's league in my opinion. In the French league, I think you have two-three teams with a good level. In Saudi, I think it is more competitive. They can say what they want. This is just my opinion and I have played there for one year, so I know what I'm talking about. But I think right now we are better than France's league."
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in December 2022 after his contract at Manchester United was terminated in November. He has scored 38 goals and provided 13 assists in 44 games for them, and won the Arab Club Champions Cup in the summer.