Are you watching Cristiano Ronaldo? Ligue 1 trolls CR7 as PSG, Monaco, Brest and Lille all secure Champions League progress

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo said at the Globe Soccer Awards in late December 2024: "The Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1, of course. I'm not saying that because I play here. I don't care what people think about it. Players should come here and they will see quickly. Just try to do sprints at 38, 39, 40 degrees… Come and you will see. If you don't believe me, come. In France, they only have PSG, everyone else is finished. Nobody can beat them because they have the most money and the best players."

Said comments have attracted criticism, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic among those to have bitten back, and nobody in France is buying Ronaldo’s suggestion that the top tier in Saudi Arabia is stronger than one of European football’s leading leagues.

Ligue 1 has proved as much in elite continental competition this term. Lille are safely through to the last-16 after finishing seventh in the Champions League group stage, while Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Brest are all readying themselves for the knockout play-offs. With that in mind, Ronaldo has been offered a reminder of how competitive the division is.

PSG – who saw Lionel Messi spend two years on their books between 2021 and 2023 – were linked with a move for CR7 at one stage, as his contract at Al-Nassr runs down. The evergreen 39-year-old is, however, expected to agree an extension to his record-breaking deal in the Middle East.