After Cristiano Ronaldo claimed SPL is better than Ligue 1, his ex-teammate Mavididi who faced Lionel Messi at PSG talks about ‘level’ in France

Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate Stephy Mavididi, who faced Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), has opened up about the level of football in France. The winger notably spent a year at Juventus with the first team, while Ronaldo was also in Turin. He has made 98 club appearances in France, playing for Montpellier during Messi's two-year stint at PSG.

Cristiano Ronaldo notably lashed out at the quality of football in France, stating that the league "only has PSG. The rest are finished." This caused a lot of backlash, with Ligue 1 clubs reacting, and Stephy Mavididi has now spoken on the matter as well.

The Leicester City winger claimed that the league standard in France was impressive, telling TNT Sports (via Eurosport):

"When I was there, you had the PSG All-Star team with [Sergio] Ramos, Neymar and [Lionel] Messi etc. It got to a stage where playing them was like a gala match - everyone used to say that.

"Besides that, the level is at a high standard. There are some good teams in there physically, and with the 'farmers league' allegations, I don’t think it’s really true because, obviously, I’ve been there myself and experienced it. It is a very competitive league and as you can see, they always produce talent.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo questions the quality of Lionel Messi's current league MLS, compares it to Saudi Pro League

Cristiano Ronaldo questioned the quality of Lionel Messi's current league, Major League Soccer (MLS), and compared it to the Saudi Pro League. The legendary Portuguese striker moved from Europe to Saudi Arabia in January 2023, while his Argentine counterpart moved to the US in the summer of the same year.

Speaking in an interview, the Portuguese icon defended the Saudi league, referring to the MLS as "obviously" lower in quality. He said (via BeINSports):

"People don't know, they just talk too much. It's a different reality when people compare Saudi Arabia to the USA. [Is Major League Soccer worse?] Obviously. But because it's Saudi Arabia, there's a lack of respect. People speak without knowledge. With the talent here, the league deserves recognition."

Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to win silverware during his time with Al Nassr. On the other hand, Lionel Messi has won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters' Shield in 2024 with Inter Miami.