Brazilian influencer Luva de Pedreiro mocks Lionel Messi and MLS with Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram story

Social media influencer Luva de Pedreiro took a shot at Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi by making a Cristiano Ronaldo reference. He tried to imply that Ronaldo's pull in the Saudi Pro League is much bigger than that of Messi in the MLS.

Ronaldo joined the SPL club Al-Nassr as a free agent on December 31, 2022. Since then, several high-profile superstars such as Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and more have joined the league.

Messi, meanwhile, joined MLS club Inter Miami as a free agent upon the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract. While since his arrival, the likes of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have joined the MLS, Pedreiro pointed out that Ronaldo's pull and influence have been much bigger.

Pedreiro's Instagram story on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

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Rio Ferdinand weighs in on how Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's recent transfers have been treated differently

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand thinks that Ronaldo's move to the Saudi Pro League has been criticized much more than Lionel Messi's move to the MLS.

The United legend pointed out that people have been more skeptical of Ronaldo moving to the SPL. Speaking about the surge of players moving to the SPL for a better pay cheque, Ferdinand said on the Joe YouTube channel:

“Look at how the media and people dealt with Messi going to America & Cristiano Ronaldo going to Saudi Arabia. When a player goes to America, you greet him, but when a player goes to Saudi, he is attacked. Do you want to tell me that America is a perfect country?"

Saudi Pro League clubs have offered players lucrative contracts and have lured them to the league. Hence, many players are moving to the league even in their prime years as footballers, a situation that was unthinkable a few years ago.