Ronaldo: Saudi league 'better' than MLS

Cristiano Ronaldo is still finding ways to keep his rivalry with Lionel Messi alive.

Ronaldo said Monday the Saudi Pro League is "better" than Major League Soccer and that he has no intention of playing in Europe again.

In December, the 38-year-old kick-started the mass exodus to Saudi Arabia, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al-Nassr reportedly worth more than $200 million per season. Longtime rival Messi moved to David Beckham's Inter Miami in MLS this month on a deal that could reportedly pay him as much as $60 million in salary, bonuses, and equity.

Ronaldo said he's happy with the decision he made and that he's the reason Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino followed him east.

"The Saudi league is better than MLS. I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here," Ronaldo said, as translated by ESPN. "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."

Saudi Arabia's top clubs began investing hundreds of millions of dollars in players after receiving backing from the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, along with Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli, are now owned by the Public Investment Fund, the same entity that controls the Premier League's Newcastle United.

Ronaldo said there's no reason for him to return to Europe, not because he's already conquered the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, respectively, but because there's not enough competition.

"I'm 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality," Ronaldo said after Al-Nassr lost 5-0 to La Liga side Celta Vigo in preseason play. "The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They're way ahead of all the other leagues."