The Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi rivalry continues to thrive despite the football icons now playing for clubs in different continents.
Shortly after Argentina's 36-year-old World Cup-winning captain was officially signed by Major League Soccer's (MLS) Inter Miami, Ronaldo took a verbal jab at his long-time rival Messi's move, asserting that the league in Saudi Arabia surpasses the MLS.
Ronaldo, who leads his national side Portugal, joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr earlier this year.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was quoted as saying by Lisbon sports newspaper A Bola: "Returning to Europe, for me, is a closed possibility, I'm already 38-1/2 years old and ... it's not worth it.
"Europe lost a lot of quality. The only one that is one of the best is the Premier League. The Spanish league lost its level, the Portuguese one is not 'top,' the German one also lost a lot of quality. The USA? No, the Saudi championship is much better than the USA."
1/10:Inter Miami welcome Argentine star Lionel Messi
AFP
2/10:It's official!
<p>A sold-out crowd waited through a delay caused by torrential rain and heavy lightning to officially welcome Lionel Messi to Inter Miami on Sunday.<br /></p>AP
3/10:Messi Mania
<p>Upon being introduced, Messi briefly addressed the crowd at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale before the team played a tribute video on the scoreboard screen. <br /><br /></p>AFP
4/10:A rousing welcome
<p>The likes of Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, DJ Khaled and Gloria and Emilio Estefan welcomed Messi to the United States.<br /></p>AFP
5/10:A rain delay
<p>A massive tropical downpour forced organizers to delay the start of "The Unveil" as fans took cover or waited out the rain in their cars.</p>AP
6/10:Beckham introducing Messi
<p>After a 2-hour delay, the club's co-owner David Beckham opened the ceremony saying Messi's arrival was a "dream come true".<br /></p>AFP
7/10:'Welcome'
<p>"Leo, we are so proud that you have chosen our club for the next stage in your career. Welcome to our family," said David Beckham.<br /></p>AFP
8/10:Inter rope in Busquets as well
<p>In the ceremony Miami also announced the official signing of former FC Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets. The 35-year-old Spaniard landed a deal that runs through the 2025 season.<br /></p>AFP
9/10:Messi 'very happy'
<p>"Thank you very much to all the people for supporting me and giving me this love. I am very happy to be here in Miami," Messi said.<br /></p>AFP
10/10:Thanking the supporters
<p>Messi, who arrived in Miami on Tuesday with his family and caused a viral sensation after being photographed shopping with them in a local supermarket, thanked the supporters. <br /><br /></p>ReutersFollowing Ronaldo's joining, the Saudi league has successfully attracted a host of other international stars. Prominent names such as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante from France, Roberto Firmino from Brazil, Edouard Mendy from Senegal, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Serbia and Marcelo Brozovic from Croatia have all joined the league.
Ronaldo added, "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."
(AI image)
Ronaldo made his comments following Al Nassr's 5-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo, a Spanish top-division team.
(With agency inputs)
