In the soccer world, few voices carry weight. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those voices. And the Portuguese superstar recently made headlines by voicing his opinion on European soccer’s quality while praising the Saudi Pro League. Now his national teammate refuted the claims surrounding European soccer.

Ronaldo’s controversial remarks sounded discussion in the soccer fraternity. But the Portuguese defender, Ruben Dias, provided a counterbalance to those claims made by the Al Nassr forward. However, Dias only talks of the present without any speculations about the future.

Ruben Dias refutes Cristiano Ronaldo’s European soccer claims

“European football has lost a lot of quality… The only valid one is Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other leagues,” are the words of CR7 while closing the doors for European return. Those words caused a stir, with mixed reactions from the fans. The Portuguese also claimed that European stars were coming to the Gulf Nation, and the Saudi League would continue to grow.

Recently Ruben Dias spoke to beIN Sports. Dias gave a well-balanced reply when asked about his national team captain’s remarks. The Manchester City defender said, “Well, first of all, that statement from the Saudi Arabia League, I guess no one really knows what’s going to happen. We are all here waiting for how it will go. But, we can only speak for the present. And I think in the present, the Premier League and Europe, in general, will keep being the most competitive.”

Dias opted not to speculate on the future and spoke about the current scenario. The Saudi Arabian clubs have gone berserk in the transfer window. They have been luring the stars to play for European clubs, although many of those are in their thirties. However, Jota (24) and Ruben Neves (26) raised many eyebrows by joining Roshn Saudi League. But can we see the stars joining Saudi clubs to play in Europe?

Is Newcastle United the route to Europe for Cristiano Ronaldo?

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe recently made some bold claims. Howe is open to loan players from the Saudi League clubs. He said, “That depends on if it is the right thing for Newcastle. We’ll always act with our best interests first,” when asked about the possibility. However, he had one condition in place.

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Howe says if FFP isn’t the issue, the club can be creative to build a strong squad by loaning players from Roshn Saudi League. It will be a possibility, as PIF owns four crucial Saudi clubs and Newcastle. The Magpies are returning to the UEFA Champions League this season for the first time after 2002-03 and need a competitive roster. 

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Can we see Cristiano Ronaldo playing in Europe after shutting the doors?