Months after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed SPL is better than Ligue 1, Karim Benzema responds when asked if Saudi League is on par with Europe

Al-Ittihad star Karim Benzema has disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo's claims that the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1. He believes that the European leagues are still better, but the Middle Eastern league is getting close.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Benzema said there has been significant development in the Saudi Pro League and that they are improving gradually. He added that the FIFA Club World Cup results show that the league has the right players and teams, and said (via InstantFoot):

"It's super simple: I think that, in three years, football has already evolved a lot here. It's more physical, it's faster, and it's going to get even better. At the Club World Cup, we saw that Al-Hilal held their own against Real Madrid (1-1) and eliminated Manchester City. So you shouldn't think it's easy here!"

"It's not at the level of Europe, but it's not far. A European team that plays against a good Saudi team isn't going to put 5-0. That's a dream, we're not playing on PlayStation. Now, you shouldn't go faster than the music. The level, the training, it's not yet the same intensity as in Europe. But, little by little, we're getting there. We, for example, have a European coach and we work a lot physically. These are things we didn't do before."

Cristiano Ronaldo has always insisted that the Saudi Pro League is among the best in the world. He said that they were better than Ligue 1 and MLS, pointing at Lionel Messi's decision to play in the two leagues after leaving Barcelona.

Riyad Mahrez backed Karim Benzema's claims over Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Ahli star Riyad Mahrez also backed Karim Benzema's claims earlier this year, saying that the Saudi Pro League was behind the European counterparts. He disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo's comments and said (via GOAL):

"I think the five big European leagues are ahead, and then we can start to compete with the other leagues. We're not too far off, I think. After that, the goal isn't to be the best league in the world right now. We're looking at the long term. Those like me who have arrived are here at the beginning of this adventure; we're a bit like pioneers. We're helping them make this league stronger."

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first high-profile name to move to the Saudi Pro League, when he joined Al-Nassr in 2022 after his contract at Manchester United was terminated.