Andrés Cantor breaks down why Lionel Messi made the move to Miami and why it’s such a big deal for Major League Soccer.
Cristiano Ronaldo closed two doors in one day.
Speaking postgame on Monday after Al Nassr's friendly match vs. Spanish side Celta Vigo, Ronaldo told reporters he would not return to European football anymore.
"I won't return to European football, the door is completely closed," Ronaldo said. "...I'm 38 years old, also European football has lost a lot of quality...only valid one is Premier League, they're way ahead of all the other leagues."
He then quelled the possibility of coming to the United States next after his Saudi Arabia chapter, saying the Saudi Pro League exceeds Major League Soccer.
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"Saudi league is better than MLS," he added. "I'm 100 percent sure I won't return to any European club. I opened the way to Saudi league...and now all the players are coming here."
Ronaldo initially left European football following his departure from the Premier League's Manchester United shortly after the 2022 FIFA World Cup concluded in Qatar.
Both sides agreed to mutually part ways, with the Red Devils terminating the Portuguese icon's contract.
With the market for him scarce, it paved the way for his move to Saudi Arabia in the ensuing winter window, where he now reportedly earns a salary of 200 million euros a year. The deal runs until June 2025.
Ronaldo's relocation has proved influential throughout the ongoing 2023 summer window, as a handful of top stars in Europe and abroad have penned deals with Saudi teams.
Ruben Neves (55 million euros), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (42 million euros) and Jota (29 million euros) are some examples of players in their 20s who officially signed deals, with veterans Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Marcelo Brozovic also serving as prime examples. Benzema and Kante were free transfers.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, came to MLS to play for Inter Miami despite links to Saudi side Al Hilal and a return to his boyhood club, Barcelona. Inter Miami officially unveiled him on Sunday ahead of his expected debut on Friday, July 21 against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.
