Cristiano Ronaldo Says "I Won't Play In Europe Again" As He Criticizes Quality Of Soccer On His Home Continent

Cristiano Ronaldo has said that his European club career is over. "I won't play in Europe again," said Ronaldo, before hailing the progress of Saudi soccer.

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that his career in European club soccer is over.

Ronaldo scored 701 goals for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus across two glorious decades in Europe before leaving his home continent to sign for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia in January this year.

The 38-year-old has since been joined in the Saudi Pro League by a flood of fellow European stars, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and Marcelo Brozovic.

Ronaldo believes that, as Saudi soccer is getting stronger, the game in Europe is on the decline.

"I'm 100 percent sure I won't return to any European club," Ronaldo told reporters on Monday night. "I opened the way to the Saudi league and now all the players are coming here."

He added: "I won't return to European football, the door is completely closed.

"I'm 38-years-old, also European football has lost a lot of quality. The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League.

"The Spanish league does not have that great quality. The Portuguese league is a good league, but it is not a top, top league. The German league I think has also lost a lot. I'm sure I won't play in Europe again. I want to play in Saudi Arabia."

Ronaldo was speaking shortly after his Al Nassr side had lost 5-0 to Spain's Celta Vigo - a team that recently finished 11th in La Liga - in a pre-season friendly in Portugal.

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo pictured on Monday during a pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo in Portugal :: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Joaquin Corchero

Earlier this week, Ronaldo's great rival Lionel Messi was officially unveiled by Major League Soccer side Inter Miami in the USA.

Ronaldo was asked if he would ever consider a move to MLS, to which he replied: "I think the Saudi league is much better than the United States. My team is Al Nassr."

He then continued to talk up the quality of the Saudi Pro League, expressing his belief that its growth has exceeded his own expectations.

"It was going to take a year, but it was six months," said Ronaldo. "I was wrong for six months.

"But I knew this was going to happen because in the Italian league, when I went there, it was also dead and then rejuvenated.

"Where Cristiano goes, it generates greater interest and I knew it was going to be like that. I'm sure that next season more stars will go there [to Saudi Arabia]."