Months after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed SPL is better than Ligue 1, FIFA president Gianni Infantino makes prediction about the Saudi League

FIFA president Gianni Infantino acknowledged the growing pedigree of the Saudi Pro League since Cristiano Ronaldo made a statement about the league being more competitive than Ligue 1.

The 40-year-old arrived in the Kingdom in December 2022 on a free transfer after more than two decades in European football, Since then the Saudi Pro League has been graced by many top foreign players, with Ronaldo praising the league's competitiveness.

Infantino seemed to share the sentiment when he told the Arab News' Asharq Al-Awsat (as per Bola VIP):

“The Kingdom has become a major hub on the global football stage,” expressing belief that it is “on track to become one of the top three leagues in the world”.

Last month, Saudi Arabia was unanimously chosen as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, with Infantino describing the country as:

“a welcoming country with a rich culture, delicious cuisine, and remarkable people”.

In January 2024, Ronaldo was quoted as saying about the Saudi Pro League (as per ESPN):

"To be honest, I think the Saudi League is not worse than French league, in my opinion. In (the) French league I think you have two, three teams with a good level. In Saudi now I think it's more competitive. They (Critics) can say whatever they want. It's just my opinion, and 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 (will) still improve."

Apart from Ronaldo, some high-profile players in the Saudi Pro League currently include Al-Ittihad's Karim Benzema, Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammates Sadio Mane and Joao Felix, and Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves, to name a few.

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Cristiano Ronaldo breaks record for most goals after turning 30

Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo entered an exclusive club by scoring in Al-Nassr's 2-2 Saudi Pro League draw at Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday. Although the stalemate ended the Knights of Najd's perfect start to the league season, it was a memorable night for Ronaldo.

Following Georginio Wijnaldum's early opener for Al-Ettifaq, Joao Felix equalised after the break before Ronaldo put his team ahead midway through the second period. With that strike, the 40-year-old broke a tie with former Arsenal striker Ronnie Rooke (493) for most goals scored by a player after turning 30.

Overall, Ronaldo has now scored 957 times for club and country, 61 more than any other player (Lionel Messi), with his sight firmly set on becoming the first to score 1000 goals.

Edited by Bhargav