Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo (Cristiano Ronaldo) made a bold statement about the level of the Saudi League and Ligue 1 at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony, which immediately caused a sensation.
What did he say?
He said that the overall level of the Saudi League easily surpasses Ligue 1, and in Ligue 1, apart from Paris Saint-Germain, the other teams have almost no competitiveness.
Can you imagine?
As soon as these words were spoken, public opinion exploded, especially Ligue 1 fans and media, who were almost boiling.
Cristiano Ronaldo's words were really provocative, as if pouring cold water on Ligue 1 fans, while also making Saudi League fans happy, feeling that they had received Cristiano Ronaldo's endorsement.
You have to understand where these words come from.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't just say this out of thin air. He also explained the reason for saying this during an interview.
He said that he didn't say this just because he was playing in Saudi Arabia, but based on his own personal experience, especially playing football in the scorching heat of Saudi Arabia.
You can't say that, the high temperature in Saudi Arabia in summer is indeed a big problem, with temperatures generally between 38°C and 39°C. It's not easy for players to compete in such an environment, which is also one of the reasons why he thinks the competitive intensity of the Saudi League far exceeds Ligue 1.
Of course, Ligue 1 was not willing to show weakness.
The official Ligue 1 responded immediately on social media, taking out Messi's words to counter Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi once said that the pace of Ligue 1 games is fast, the confrontation is fierce, and the physical quality is first-class, even stronger than La Liga.
This isn't something to be taken lightly. As one of the greatest players in football history, who dares to easily negate his evaluation?
Ligue 1 also specially posted a photo of Messi winning the championship at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, adding: Messi also played in 38°C high temperature.
It can be seen that Ligue 1's move is somewhat sarcastic about Cristiano Ronaldo being afraid of the heat.
Things didn't end so simply.
Some reporters noticed that the 38°C temperature mentioned by Ligue 1 officials was actually inaccurate.
According to the data from the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the daytime temperature at that time was about 28°C, and the evening temperature was between 22°C and 24°C, which is quite different from the 38°C to 40°C high temperature described by Cristiano Ronaldo.
As a result, the remarks of the Ligue 1 officials were refuted one by one, and many fans who had supported Ligue 1 began to keep silent, and the number of comments dropped rapidly.
Some netizens even joked: This time, the Ligue 1 official push is really embarrassing. It turns out that Messi's World Cup high temperature photo is a mistake in homework.
Some netizens continued to say: Although Cristiano Ronaldo said that Saudi Arabia is hot, it is more like he is looking for an excuse for himself.
In short, he just likes it there and says so.
Don't look at Messi in Ligue 1, his combat effectiveness is not bad at all!
Look at his performance in the World Cup, isn't it still so hot?
It seems that this public opinion storm is not only about the comparison of levels between the Saudi League and Ligue 1, but also the invisible confrontation between two football giants.
Returning to Cristiano Ronaldo's remarks, the Saudi League has indeed introduced a large number of top players through high funds, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Bale and a host of other players joining one after another, driving the overall attention of the Saudi League.
Compared with Ligue 1, although Paris Saint-Germain is indeed strong, the overall competitiveness is obviously lacking.
You know, the level of Ligue 1 has always been questioned by Paris alone, like Monaco, Lyon and other teams, who brought some competition to Paris in earlier years, but in recent years, there have not been too many eye-catching performances in European competitions.
Cristiano Ronaldo said that Ligue 1's overall level is low, except for Paris, there is nothing challenging, maybe there is some truth.
We also need to look at this matter rationally.
Cristiano Ronaldo's remarks may be more out of pride in the Saudi League. He plays there himself and must strive for glory for his league.
And Ligue 1, as one of the top five leagues, although there is a problem of Paris being alone, it also has its own charm.
Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and other top players are all in Ligue 1, how can we say that Ligue 1 has no competitiveness?
Moreover, Ligue 1 teams have gradually improved their performance in European events in recent years, such as Monaco and Lille have also performed well in the Champions League.
Some netizens also put forward another view: Is Cristiano Ronaldo saying this because he is a little dissatisfied with Messi's brilliance in Ligue 1?
Didn't he say before that Messi is the greatest player, so how does he think his achievements in Saudi Arabia can be compared with Messi now?
Although these words are sharp, they seem to make sense.
Messi has always performed outstandingly in Ligue 1, whether in the league or on the international stage, Messi's influence and performance are really not comparable to ordinary people.
And although Cristiano Ronaldo is in full swing in the Saudi League, compared with Messi's achievements, the gap is still quite large.
The competition between the two players has long been not limited to the field, but also part of their competition off the field.
Thinking back, although Cristiano Ronaldo's remarks caused a lot of turmoil, they also reflected a bigger problem: the strength gap between different leagues always exists in global football competition, especially outside the top five European leagues. How to improve their competitive level and international attention has become a challenge that each league is working hard to face.
The Saudi League has enhanced its influence through high-priced recruitment, while Ligue 1 has gradually gained higher competitive level and global attention through Messi and other big-name players.
Some netizens also left a message saying: Who is better, Saudi Arabia or Ligue 1, who knows.
Anyway, we fans care more about the players' performance on the court.
In fact, think about it, fans care more about the players' performance on the field, not their remarks off the field.
Whether the Saudi League or Ligue 1 is stronger or weaker, what ultimately determines everything is the actual performance of the players.
Football is fought on the field, no matter how loud the noise outside the field is, it doesn't mean anything.
Finally, to sum up, although this storm is a bit big, it is just a small quarrel between the two players in the field of public opinion.
The real competition is still to see their performance on the field.
And for fans, what they care about is the players' skills, or who can bring more exciting games, who is more worthy of our support.