A few hours after Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive comments about France and its Ligue 1, a response came, bringing Lionel Messi’s name into the spotlight. The response, quite outlandish, triggered a lot of laughter on social media.

Back in Saudi Arabia, where he has been playing for Al Nassr for two years, Cristiano Ronaldo received a reply after his criticisms of Ligue 1, which he deems far inferior to the Saudi Pro League. “The Saudi league is better than Ligue 1, of course. France only has PSG, the rest is finished. Try sprinting in 38, 39, 40-degree heat and you’ll see…” said the five-time Ballon d’Or winner during the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards, where he was crowned the best player in the Middle East. Naturally, after this explosive statement, which wasn’t well received in France, the official Ligue 1 Spanish page issued a response.

The blunt response from Ligue 1

Cristiano Ronaldo tears into Ligue 1, France immediately humbles him: "Messi playing under..."

Responding to Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments, in which he claimed that the high temperatures in Saudi Arabia present a much greater challenge than those in France, the Spanish page of Ligue 1 highlighted Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Since Qatar is also a Gulf country with temperatures similar to Saudi Arabia, Ligue 1 Spain didn’t hesitate to troll CR7 by posting a picture of his greatest rival holding the World Cup trophy. “Messi playing in 38-degree heat.”

It was quite a sharp response that didn’t fail to spark reactions on social media. However, it should be noted that this is not Cristiano Ronaldo’s first such incident. Last January, the Al Nassr forward did not hesitate to criticise the French league, labelling it as weak. With big names like Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Mahrez, Kessié, and many others in the Saudi Pro League, the former Real Madrid star remains firm in his belief that the competitiveness is not the same as in France.

One must say, with the World Cup he has never won, Cristiano will not have a break. At 40, the chances of winning this major trophy, which makes the difference with his biggest Argentine rival, are much slimmer. In any case, CR7 intends to continue until 2026, aiming to play in the next World Cup with the Portuguese Seleção, which remains a very strong team on paper but often disappoints in the decisive stages.