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Cristiano Ronaldo's plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, which has been ranked in 27th place in the latest Opta's Power Rankings. As per Sportbible, SPL is 12 places behind Major Soccer League, where Lionel Messi represents Inter Miami.
Messi's former club Paris-Saint Germain is a part of Ligue 1, who have been ranked fifth in the list. This is an important note to take in light of comments recently made by Ronaldo.
At the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo felt that the SPL is more competitive than Ligue 1 (via Sportbible):
"To be honest, I think the Saudi League is not worse than the French league, in my opinion. In (the) French league, I think you have two or three teams with a good level. In Saudi now, I think it's more competitive."
He added:
“They can say whatever they want, it's just my opinion. I played there one year, so I know what I'm talking about. But I think right now we are better than (the) French league. We still improve."
Many fans assumed that Cristiano Ronaldo's words carried a slice of personal bias, as Messi had played in Ligue 1 for two seasons.
As per the rankings, the English Premier League is placed first. They are followed by Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1. England's second division football, Sky Bet Championship, is ranked sixth.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fare in 2023?
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual consent in December 2022. He joined Al-Nassr two weeks later and made his debut for them in January 2023.
Ronaldo had a wonderful year for club and country, registering 54 goals in 59 games. He also helped Al-Nassr win the Arab Club Champions Cup last year.
Lionel Messi ended 2022 with a FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar. He followed it up with the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title. Messi then joined Inter Miami, where he helped the club win their first trophy - the Leagues Cup.
Messi also won the 2023 Ballon d'Or and the 2023 FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year awards.
