French Ligue 1 hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo’s “only PSG” jibe with Lionel Messi retort

Cristiano Ronaldo has reignited tensions with Ligue 1 after dismissing the French league’s competitiveness during the recent Globe Soccer Awards, Soccernet.football reports.

Speaking at the 15th edition of the event, the Al-Nassr forward remarked, “[The] Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course. France only has Paris Saint-Germain. The rest are finished.”

Ronaldo, who now plays in Saudi Arabia, also defended his new league, adding: “Players should come and play here, try to sprint in 38, 39, 40 degrees, sweat. Come and play here and you will see.”

This isn’t the first time the Portuguese star has criticized Ligue 1.

At last year’s Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo voiced similar sentiments, prompting a response from then-Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, who pointed out that Ronaldo had never played in France’s top flight.

This time around, an official Ligue 1 Spain account on X (formerly Twitter) has delivered a witty response.

Posting a photo of Lionel Messi holding the World Cup trophy, the caption read: “Leo Messi playing in 38 degrees.”

The tweet referenced Messi’s triumph with Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where they defeated France in the final.

Despite Ronaldo’s remarks, Ligue 1 clubs have shown strong form this season.

Three of the four French teams in the Champions League are on track to reach the knockout stages, while Lille and Stade Brestois currently occupy automatic qualifying spots.