‘Players in Saudi are better’ – Neymar echoes Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ligue 1 comments

Neymar (32) has echoed Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments regarding the alleged superior level of the Saudi Pro League compared to Ligue 1. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner claimed last month that “Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course. France only has Paris Saint-Germain. The rest are finished”, despite having never played in the French top tier. The same can’t be said about Neymar. The former Barcelona striker played for six years for PSG, between 2017 and 2023, and gave a similar – although not as derogatory – remark to CNN.

“The level of the Saudi Pro League is increasing and, from what I see, it’s better than Ligue 1″, Neymar said to the American network. “Ligue 1 has its positives. The league is very strong. I played in it, so I know this well. Today, the players in the Saudi Pro League are better.” Neymar joined the Riyadh-based SPL outfit Al-Hilal after being told he was not part of Luis Enrique’s plans at PSG, which received an eye-watering €90m transfer fee given the Brazil international was still under contract with PSG until 2026.

Despite his glowing praise of the Saudi Pro League, Neymar has hinted he would very much like to reunite with former Barcelona and PSG teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and reform Barcelona’s deadly trio with Luis Suarez. Neymar will be out of contract next June. “It would be interesting to revive this trio. I’m happy at Al Hilal. I’m happy in Saudi Arabia, but who knows? Football is full of surprises. When the news came out that I was leaving Paris Saint-Germain, the transfer window was closed in the United States, so I didn’t have this option.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval