Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer– which one is better in terms of quality and popularity? The question has become a hot topic in football discussions. Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo answered this question by saying, “The Saudi Arabian league is better than MLS.
All the players are here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.” After Ronaldo’s response, there has been intense debate among football fans about which of the two leagues is superior. Some favour MLS, while others go for the Saudi Pro League.
However, the main focus of this discussion revolves around two stars: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. For more than a decade, these two players have broken record after record in world football history.
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Both have also attained the recognition of being among the best players in their respective club histories. At the twilight of their careers, they have both moved from European football to relatively less prestigious leagues.
While Ronaldo chose the Asian football stage, Messi opted for America. Both have already started to shine in their respective clubs. There was a time when debates were going around about which was the better club: Barcelona or Real Madrid, where Messi and Ronaldo played respectively.
But now, the conversation has shifted to a league-wide discussion.
In the past, many big names from European football joined clubs in the Saudi Pro League. Especially after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr, Saudi club football attained huge fame all over the world. Following Ronaldo’s lead, top players like Karim Benzema, Neymar, Fabinho, Handerson, Ruben Neves, Ivan Toney, Roberto Firmino, and many others have joined Saudi clubs, increasing people’s interest in the league.
However, a different picture is emerging in MLS. Apart from Lionel Messi, there are no other major stars in the league at the moment. But recently, Messi’s club, Inter Miami, has signed former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suárez.
This has somewhat attracted attention to MLS, but overall, it is still far behind the Saudi Pro League when it comes to attracting top-tier stars. However, in the past, famous football stars like David Beckham, David Villa, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Frank Lampard and many big names have played in this league.
However, It’s not an ideal way to be named the best league just for many star players.
According to the football website Foot the Ball, A league cannot be called the best just because it has stars; the focus should also be on how much the league is contributing to producing quality local players.
Nowadays, MLS is focusing on grassroots development to produce local footballers, which will later benefit the national team. The U.S. football team has now become a formidable force internationally, largely because of this focus on grassroots.
Previously, players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, who rose through the ranks of MLS, have gone on to shine in European clubs. In this regard, the Saudi Pro League is behind in working on this. Instead of developing stars from the grassroots level, Saudi clubs are bringing in established stars from European clubs.
Therefore, while the Saudi Pro League may be the most high-profile in name, it is sorely lacking in developing grassroots compared to the MLS.
The scene has not changed to the Saudi Pro League, they still rely on Star players who come from European football
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