‘I Believe 100%’—Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Wild Claim Completely Undermined by Statistics | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo has firmly insisted that the Saudi Pro League is already one of the five best soccer divisions across the world, flying wildly in the face of accepted wisdom and most statistical models.

Ronaldo sparked a blazing spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s top flight when he left Manchester United to join Al Nassr in the winter of 2022. In the process of explaining his extended stay in the Kingdom, the veteran forward with a freshly-inked two-year contract hailed the quality of a division many have questioned.

“Of course, we [the Saudi Pro League] are still improving. I believe that in this moment that we are top five [leagues in the world] already,” Ronaldo boasted on Al Nassr’s YouTube channel. “I still believe that we will continue to improve, and we have time.

“We have shown in the last two years that the league is going up all the time. I am happy because I know that the league is very competitive. Only the people who have never played in Saudi Arabia and know nothing about football say this league is not top five [in the world].

“I believe 100% in my words, and the people that play in this league know what I am talking about.”

Cristiano Ronaldo finished as top scorer in each of his two full seasons at Al Nassr. / IMAGO/Abdullah Ahmed

Comparing the quality of leagues from separate continents is difficult given how rarely clubs from these disparate divisions play each other. Ironically, the expanded Club World Cup—a competition in which Ronaldo opted against competing—provides a unique opportunity for some context.

Al Hilal are the only Saudi participants and managed to qualify for the knockout stages by finishing second in Group H to Real Madrid, earning a 1–1 draw against the Spanish giants along the way.

Revered data providers Opta offer a more complete comparison of rival divisions. By comparing the advanced metrics of thousands of clubs from every corner of the globe, Opta have compiled a world-wide, real-time power rankings. In the middle of June, the average quality of clubs in the Saudi Pro League ensured that it was the 29th strongest division on the planet—some way short of Ronaldo’s top-five billing.

For comparison, Major League Soccer—home to Ronaldo’s long-time rival Lionel Messi—is deemed the 12th-best division.

According to Opta’s metrics, the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga and French Ligue 1 form the globe’s leading quintet of competitions. Intriguingly, England’s second-tier Championship is ranked sixth.

Opta also provide team-specific rankings. Freshly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool lead the way, while Ronaldo’s Al Nassr find themselves 124th in the world at the time of writing, two places below newly promoted Sunderland.