“It’s better to stay quiet” - Ex-Barcelona and Arsenal star hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ligue 1 comments 

Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has offered his two cents on Cristiano Ronaldo's harsh comments about Ligue 1. The Frenchman believes Ronaldo should have opted to stay silent instead of attracting unwanted attention.

The Portuguese superstar attended the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai at the end of December, where he won the Best Middle East Player prize for his exploits for Al-Nassr.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cristiano Ronaldo sparked controversy when he emphatically claimed that the Saudi Pro League is a better league than Ligue 1. He said:

“The Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1, of course. I'm not saying that because I play here. I don't care what people think about it. Players should come here and they will see quickly. Just try to do sprints at 38, 39, 40 degrees...Come and you will see. If you don't believe me, come."

The Real Madrid icon added:

"In France, they only have PSG, everyone else is finished. Nobody can beat them because they have the most money and the best players.”

Emmanuel Petit has reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's comments, insisting they were unnecessary despite the respect he has for the Portuguese superstar

The former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder said (via GOAL):

“Cristiano Ronaldo had some bad criticism, saying the Saudi Arabian league is better than Ligue 1. Come on, I have a massive respect for Ronaldo's career and his impact on football, but sometimes it's better to stay quiet and not say anything instead of gathering that attention.”

Petit spent nine years at his boyhood club AS Monaco in France before going on to play for Arsenal and Barcelona. He then spent three years at Chelsea before his retirement in 2004.

When Petit claimed Cristiano Ronaldo's Ligue 1 comments are "baseless and related to Messi"

This is not the first time Emmanuel Petit has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo over his comments about the French top-flight.

Speaking on French television shortly after Ronaldo's statement, Petit slammed the former Real Madrid superstar, claiming that he's merely jealous that he no longer headlines the Ballon d'Or Award Ceremony.

The 54-year-old also claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo had no justification for his statement and that it was merely related to his rivalry with Lionel Messi.

He said (via Yahoo Sports):

“I’m not surprised. Since 2018 when Cristiano left Real Madrid, he has had more interviews than collective trophies. He has had very little impact on club and country. He is an ambassador of the Globe (Soccer) awards and I think he can’t deal with the fact that he is not the headliner of the biggest football awards (Ballon d’Or) anymore. His comments about Ligue 1 are baseless and are related to Messi and we all know that.”