“[MLS] Can Compete With.. Riches of Saudi” – After Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi League Claim, Wayne Rooney Says Lionel Messi’s Arrival Was ‘Huge for the League’

On Sunday, the MLS unveiled Lionel Messi as an Inter Miami player. The Argentine World Cup winner has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. Just hours ago, DC United manager and former player Wayne Rooney put everything into perspective. The Englishman claims that it is a ‘huge’ deal for soccer in America. He also defended the quality of the MLS by stating that it was always higher than everyone imagined.

Rooney’s comments backing the MLS come just hours after Cristiano Ronaldo made a few strong comments. The Portuguese soccer legend claimed that Saudi Arabia was better than Messi’s current league.

Lionel Messi signing for Inter Miami means that the MLS can compete with the Saudi ‘riches’

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Wayne Rooney highlighted the importance of Messi joining the MLS. The Manchester United legend revealed that American soccer probably ‘needed’ this signing. He mentioned that Benzema and other stars preferred moving to Saudi Arabia. With Messi opting for America, he pinpointed, “For the MLS to get Messi was huge. To show that it can compete with obviously the riches of Saudi”.

Apart from that, Rooney also spoke about the rising quality of the MLS. The Englishman claimed that many soccer agents end up ‘disrespecting’ Major League Soccer. That’s because they try to offer certain players that are nowhere good enough to play in the league.

In short, Rooney claimed that the arrival of Lionel Messi was huge. And it will only help in bettering the quality of the league, which was already quite high. The Argentine World Cup winner will most likely make his debut against Cruz Azul on July 21. While everyone continues to celebrate Messi’s arrival in America, Cristiano Ronaldo had a few things to say about him.

READ MORE: Days Before Lionel Messi’s MLS Debut, Survey Indicates 66.5% People in Miami Speak Spanish Lightening Concerns Over Soccer Star’s Spoken English Skills

The Portuguese soccer legend surely did not hold back. He made a few eye-opening claims while speaking in favor of the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo’s views on the Saudi Pro League over the MLS

Earlier this year, Ronaldo took the unexpected step of moving out of European soccer, which angered many fans. He decided to join the Saudi Pro League on a massive contract. A few months later, several big names have followed him. Notable examples of the same are Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, and many more. Interestingly, Messi also received an outrageous offer but did not pursue it.

Ronaldo recently quoted, “The Saudi League is better than MLS. I opened the way to the Saudi League, and now all the players are coming here”. Throughout the interview, he sounded extremely confident about his move to Saudi. The Al-Nassr star also ruled out a return to European soccer ever in the future.

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What do you think about Wayne Rooney’s comments on Messi’s arrival? Let us know in the comments below.