Portugal’s superstar is honored at an awards ceremony – and causes a stir with provocative statements. Reactions don’t take long to arrive.
Cristiano Ronaldo has recently no longer played a role in internationally renowned football honors such as the “Ballon d’Or” or FIFA’s “The Best” award – after all, the Portuguese superstar has already won both awards a total of seven times (five times the “Ballon d’Or”, twice “The Best”).
The 38-year-old doesn’t have to go completely without awards, even in his footballing exile in Saudi Arabia. At the “Globe Soccer Awards”, a gala that has been held annually in Dubai since 2010, Ronaldo won three prizes: He won the “Maradona Award” for the best goalscorer of the year and the awards “Best Player in the Middle East” and “At the fans’ favorite player of the year. And he used the event on Friday to sing a hymn of praise – to himself. An almost bizarre hymn of praise that immediately sparked discussion.
“I was the top scorer this year, you just have to imagine beating young beasts like Haaland. I’m proud. And I’ll be 39 soon,” sang “CR7”. In fact, Ronaldo scored 34 goals in 34 league games for his club Al-Nassr across seasons in 2023, while Haaland scored 29 times in 35 Premier League games for Manchester City in the same period.
“Saudi League is no worse than the French league”
“I like it when people doubt me and then I’m successful,” Ronaldo continued. “Criticism doesn’t influence me.” Then the 2016 European champion followed up: When asked about the strength of the Saudi Arabian league, Ronaldo replied: “To be honest: I think the Saudi League is no worse than the French league, in my opinion.” At this moment, a surprised murmur and applause mixed in the hall. “In France you have two or three teams at a high level, in Saudi Arabia it is more competitive.”
With a view to possible criticism, the attacker added: “They can say whatever they want, that’s my opinion. I’ve been playing there for a year, so I know what I’m talking about.” And even added to his comparison with Ligue 1: “I think we’re better than the French league at the moment.”
Reactions to Ronaldo: “This bitter man”
The reactions to the provocative statements of the former Real Madrid leader did not take long to arrive.
“You can’t really brag about goals in Saudi Arabia, bro,” wrote a user on X (formerly Twitter) comparing Ronaldo to Haaland. Others also emphasized the class difference between the Premier League and the Saudi League: “Ten goals in Saudi Arabia count as much as one goal in Europe, my dear,” wrote another, and another made a harsh judgment: “This bitter man “He always sees himself in competition with others. A teenager like Haaland gives him sleepless nights.”
And Ronaldo’s statement about Ligue 1 also caused discussion: Although there was a lot of approval, especially from the goalscorer’s obvious supporters, there was also a lot of criticism mixed in with it: “Ligue 1 has more than 150 fans,” joked a user on X, while another speculated: “Jokeman. We all know he’s a paid football influencer for the Saudis.”
There has been no reaction to the statements from Ligue 1. And Haaland? He also accepted an award at the gala: “Best Male Footballer of the Year”. And all without criticism…