The Saudi Pro League has been positioned as the 27th best football league globally, trailing behind the Major League Soccer (MLS), where renowned player Lionel Messi currently plays.
Saudi Pro League Surpasses
Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, created a stir at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards by asserting that the Saudi Pro League surpasses Ligue 1, the top division of French football, which is commonly ranked among the top five European leagues. Ronaldo expressed his opinion that the Saudi League is more competitive than the French league, based on his personal experience of playing there for a year.
Despite Ronaldo’s bold claim, statistical assessments, such as Opta’s Power Rankings, tell a different story. These rankings assign an “ability score” to each club, factoring in various statistics, ultimately allowing for the assessment and ranking of the quality of football leagues worldwide. The current top five leagues are the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, and French Ligue 1.
Contrary to Ronaldo’s assertion, the MLS, where Lionel Messi has been playing since last summer, stands at 15th place in the global rankings, whereas Ronaldo’s Saudi Pro League is positioned 12 places lower, at 27th.
For context, here is the complete list as of October 2023:
- English Premier League 87.66
- German Bundesliga 84.04
- Italian Serie A 83.46
- Spanish La Liga 83.43
- French Ligue 1 81.41
- English Championship 78.58
- Dutch Eredivisie 77.24
- Portuguese Primeira Liga 77.20
- Belgian Pro League 77.19
- Brazilian Serie A 76.43
- Swiss Super League 75.72
- Turkish Super Lig 75.65
- Russian Premier Liga 75.08
- Danish Superliga 75.00
- MLS 74.77
- Austrian Bundesliga 74.76
- Spanish La Liga 2 74.42
- Polish Ekstraklasa 73.88
- Argentine Liga Professional 73.66
- German 2. Bundesliga 73.62
- Croatian HNL 73.45
- Mexican Liga MX 73.20
- Cypriot First Division 72.47
- Swedish Allsvenskan 72.30
- Japanese J1 League 72.16
- South Korean K League 1 72.09
- Saudi Pro League 71.94
- Israeli Premier League 71.56
- Romanian Liga I 71.40
- Norwegian Eliteserien 71.33
In conclusion, while Ronaldo’s perspective on the Saudi Pro League may be subjective, the objective statistical rankings place it lower than both Ligue 1 and the MLS.
Next Read: Ronaldo’s Rehab Dilemma: Al-Nassr’s Plans in Limbo
Next Read: Last Dance Without CR7: Will Messi and Ronaldo Meet Again?
Next Read: Manchester United Stars Targeted by Al-Nassr – Big Offers on the Table