Cristiano Ronaldo Expresses Disappointment With UEFA Chief Aleksander Ceferin’s Comment

Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his disappointment with UEFA Chief Aleksander Ceferin during a media talk following Al Nassr’s 5-0 preseason loss to Celta Vigo. He had some comments on UEFA’s chief during this talk with the media.

Ronaldo criticized the president of the European Union, stating, “Players who arrived aren’t like what he said. Jota & Ruben Neves are young players.” Ronaldo’s comments were in reference to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin’s remarks.

Recently, Ceferin addressed a query during an interview with the Netherlands broadcaster NOS about whether he was concerned about the Saudi Pro League attracting significant talent away from European soccer.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Players moving to Saudi Arabia pro league. pic.twitter.com/4NVHPFZhCK

— Bet9ja (@Bet9jaOfficial) June 19, 2023

Aleksander responded with confidence, stating, “The system of buying players who are almost at the end of their career is not the system that develops football. It was a similar mistake in China when they brought in players who are at the end of their career.”

He concluded with a thought-provoking question, asking, “Tell me one player who is in their prime and has started their career and then went on to play in Saudi Arabia?” Ronaldo responded to these comments and questions by highlighting the transfers of Celtic winger Jota to Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract and Ruben Neves joining Al Hilal.

Jota and Ruben Neves are in the younger phase of their careers, with Jota being 24 years old and Neves being 26 years old.

Saudi League is ranked 2nd behind Japan’s J League in Asia

Cristiano Ronaldo made bold predictions to the media about Saudi Arabia, stating, “In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi.” He was referring to the increasing number of European players joining the Saudi League in 2023. Ronaldo further asserted, “In a year, the Saudi League will surpass the Turkish Super League and the Eredivisie.”

According to Ronaldo, the Saudi Pro League is on the rise and the influx of European talent will continue beyond 2023. He predicts that the Saudi Pro League will surpass stronger European leagues such as the Turkish Super League (Süper Lig) and the Eredivisie..

Ronaldo’s comment did not specify the parameters in which the Saudi Pro League would surpass the Turkish Super League and the Eredivisie, whether it be in terms of viewership, player quality, or revenue generated. However, based on the current rankings of league quality, the Saudi Pro League still has a considerable gap to close.

In Asia’s coefficient system, the Saudi Pro League is ranked 2nd behind Japan’s J League. pic.twitter.com/PaA3W8KM5N

— MessivsRonaldo.app (@mvsrapp) March 2, 2023

To surpass these European leagues, the Saudi League needs to establish itself as the Top League in Asia, where it currently lags behind Japan’s J League. 

Comparing world leagues to each other is subjective, as different associations have their own coefficient systems in place for evaluation. However, according to some sources, the Saudi Pro League has been ranked as low as 66th.

1️⃣ TeamForm ��

TeamForm is a rating and predictions tool aimed at the betting market – they’ve created a fairly in-depth rating model which you can read more about here: https://t.co/VSBBAKVE80

���� Saudi Pro League ranking: 6️⃣6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/lCqtYv7QJZ

— MessivsRonaldo.app (@mvsrapp) March 2, 2023

These rankings only consider on-field performances and are not definitive measures of a league’s overall stature. The addition of new players, increased revenue, and growing viewership can significantly alter the rankings for Saudi Arabia.

However, claiming to surpass the well-established European leagues within a year is an enormous challenge and a difficult task to achieve.