Cristiano Ronaldo told to "shut up" for comments 'subtly aimed at Lionel Messi'

04 March 2024 , 11:53

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Cristiano Ronaldo has been blasted for his comments on Ligue 1 (Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been told to "shut up" for claiming the Saudi Pro League is a high standard than Ligue 1.

Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia last January and has since become one of the division's biggest supporters. Detractors have argued that the league's quality is still poor despite the massive transfer splurge their clubs have been on over the past year.

But at the end of January, Ronaldo hit back at those critics, insisting that the SPL is around the level of some European leagues. He said: "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. I think right now we are better than [the] French league, we still improve."

Those comments have now drawn an angry response from former Chelsea and Marseille star Franck Leboeuf though. The Frenchman told Ronaldo to "shut up" and insisted that Portugal should drop him if they want to win Euro 2024.

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"It annoys me when I hear Cristiano Ronaldo saying that the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1. Why do you think he chose to make that comment about Ligue 1 rather than the Portuguese League? It’s because Lionel Messi played in Ligue 1," Leboeuf told BetVictor.

"I have lots of respect for him as a player but come on, just shut up! It is unfair to Ligue 1. For me, Portugal are actually one of the contenders for this summer’s European Championships.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Is the Saudi Pro League better than Ligue 1? Comment below.

Franck Leboeuf believes Ronaldo made his comments to get back at Lionel Messi, who spent two years at PSG (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

"I actually think they can win the Euros, but only if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t play. You cannot take away anything that Ronaldo has done for football just because he has gone to retire in the Saudi League.

"I want to thank him for taking the sport to another level, but there is an end for everyone. He has every right to play in Saudi Arabia, although I'm not sure he needed even more money!"

While he did blast Ronaldo, Leboeuf insisted he had no problem with players moving to lesser leagues to finish their careers. He claimed he remains a fan of Ronaldo and his glittering career.

"I have no problem with players coming to the end of their careers going to play in lesser leagues to earn more money, the same has happened with Lionel Messi," he continued.

"Both of them were fantastic players but they have chosen not to play at the top level anymore and we have to respect that. You can never take away what they have done for football. The competition between those two actually made the entire sport better. It made it more attractive. Thank you Ronaldo, thank you Messi, enjoy your retirement!"

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Jacob Leeks