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Cristiano Ronaldo has never been short of confidence.
Despite the fact that Ronaldo is coming off a season in which he retreated from the elite echelon of the sport as a result of his move to the Saudi Pro League, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus striker remains as cocky as ever.
Clearly ignoring the fact that his Al-Nassr side got waxed 5-0 by Spanish club Celta Vigo during the team’s last friendly, Ronaldo recently said that European football has recently “lost a lot of quality” and that the only “valid” league is England’s Premier League.
“I won’t return to European football, the door is completely closed. I’m 38 years old, also European football has lost a lot of quality… the only valid one is Premier League, they’re way ahead of all the other leagues”.
In 16 matches during his first season with Al-Nassr — who finished second in the division — Ronaldo had 14 goals and 2 assists.
Ronaldo also claimed that the Saudi league is better than America’s Major League Soccer (which could be a shot at his longtime rival Lionel Messi given that he just joined MLS club Inter Miami) and that he’s the one who paved the way for other pros to join the league.
“I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I opened the way to Saudi league… and now all the players are coming here.”
While Ronaldo’s claims about him opening the door to the Saudi league aren’t baseless — them landing a star of his caliber was certainly a paradigm shift — the fact remains that players have been flocking there this summer because the league is intentionally poaching players on the wrong side of 30 who are looking for one last payday.
Take what’s going on with Jordan Henderson, for example. Previously hailed by former Burnley captain Ben Mee (who is now with Brentford) as the “captain of the captains” and his commitment to supporting the LGBTQ community, the 33-year-old Liverpool captain has reportedly agreed to a deal with a Saudi club that would pay him close to $1 million PER WEEK.