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Balague: There is still a big gap between Saudi Arabia and La Liga. They have improved but not to the level that Ronaldo said.

10:53pm, 8 November 2025【Football】

November 08: Morgan updated the full version of Ronaldo’s interview, and invited many reporters and commentators to comment. They talked about the competitiveness of Saudi Arabia.

Morgan: Okay, let’s ask Gilliam (Balage) next. It's a great debate and obviously there won't be a final answer, but Calderon emphasized the importance of signing Ronaldo, which is interesting. And I think both Ronaldo and Messi have one thing in common - a strong desire to constantly improve themselves and evolve. I have another question for you, Gilliam. Ronaldo also mentioned the Saudi League. When he first went there, many people criticized and ridiculed the league, saying it was "not a real league", a "peasant league" and the like. But now more and more top players and even some young outstanding players are going there, and the league level is obviously improving. Let's hear what he said first, and then you can respond.

(Cristiano Ronaldo interview clip) "Year after year, I can score more goals every year. Even in bad years, I can score 25. If I go to the top team in the Premier League now, I can still score so many goals, which is easy for me. Even if I lead a 14-year-old youth team, I can maintain the same scoring efficiency. I don't need to say more, others can say whatever they want, but the data is not They say the Saudi league is not good, but they have never been there, never played there. They don’t know what it’s like to play in a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. And why doesn’t the Ballon d’Or count goals in the Saudi league? To be honest, it’s much easier for me to score in Spain than in Saudi Arabia.”

Morgan: Gilliam, you are the best person to answer this question. Does he think the current Saudi league is better than La Liga?

Balagh: If he feels he is the greatest player of all time and he is now playing in the Saudi league, then obviously this is a recognition of the Saudi league. But I'm not sure it's really easier to score goals in La Liga than in Saudi Arabia. Obviously, a lot of talented players do go to Saudi Arabia, and he made a point that I hadn't considered before: Why can't players who play in the Saudi league be considered for the Ballon d'Or? Our view of this award is too Eurocentric. But having said that, there is still a big gap between the Saudi League and La Liga. I even think there is still a big gap compared with the French Ligue 1, which he considers to be a "lower level". He compared the Saudi league with La Liga, which may only have seen the surface and failed to see what is behind it. Of course, the Saudi League has indeed made great progress. It has invested a lot in sports directors, coaches, and players. Many outstanding football practitioners from all over the world have gone there. The infrastructure, competitiveness, and game viewing are also improving, and there are more and more business cooperation. But there is still a lot of room for improvement. Their progress in the past five years is indeed amazing, but I don't think it has reached the level that Ronaldo said.

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