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Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that Europe has lost some of its quality – right as Celta Vigo thrashed his Al Nassr.
The Spanish outfit, who finished 13th in La Liga, are the first European side to face Al Nassr since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in December.
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The former Manchester United star played 45 minutes while Marcelo Brozovic made his debut after making the switch from Inter Milan this summer.
But Celta Vigo thrashed the Saudi side 5-0 on Monday night, scoring all goals in a 30-minute blitz after the break.
Despite Al Nassr getting obliterated by a mid-table La Liga team, Ronaldo has insisted that the quality in European leagues has decreased.
“I’m 100 per cent sure I won’t return to any European club. I’m 38 years old,” he told ESPN.
“European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the (English) Premier League.
“They’re way ahead of all the other leagues.”
Ronaldo also had a sly dig at Lionel Messi, who has agreed to join Inter Miami after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired.
When asked if he would ever consider moving to the MLS, the Portugal international replied: “The Saudi league is better than MLS.
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“Now all the players are coming here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.
“I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”
Ronaldo was not on the pitch to witness Al Nassr’s demolition against Celta Vigo after being taken off at half-time.
Gael Alonso netted the first goal after an hour on the clock before Miguel Rodriguez and Jorgen Strand Larsen both got two.
However, Ronaldo actually had an excellent chance to put Al Nassr a goal up in the first half before fluffing his lines.
Brozovic, meanwhile, played 54 minutes before he was taken off while the Saudi club have further friendlies are scheduled against European sides.
Luis Castro’s men will face even tougher opposition in the coming weeks when they take on Benfica, PSG and Inter Milan.
The Saudi Pro League has made aggressive moves in the transfer window to bring in huge names.
Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves are just some of the players to make the trip to the Gulf State.
However, there will not be any further signings at Al Nassr for the foreseeable future after they were banned from registering new players due to an ongoing dispute with Leicester.
