Ivan Toney shockingly claims Saudi Pro League is 'on par' with Premier League & insists Al-Ahli would be 'close to the top four' in English top flight

The Saudi Pro League's biggest star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has repeatedly claimed that the competition should be considered among the top five leagues in the world. He even aimed a dig at his eternal rival, Lionel Messi, by saying that the Saudi league is already better than Major League Soccer in the United States and France's Ligue 1.

Former Brentford star Toney has now gone one step further than Ronaldo, claiming that the Saudi Pro League is "on par" with the Premier League. Speaking to The Guardian, the England international said: "Ronaldo has been around the world and probably knows a lot more than me, as I have only played in the Premier League, the Championship and Leagues One and Two. For me, [the Pro League] is on a par with the Premier League. If [Al-Ahli] were in the Premier League, we’d give it a good go and we’d be close to the top four. It is a quality league and people should not turn their noses up. We saw Al-Hilal play against Man City [at the Club World Cup] and beat them."

Toney enjoyed a successful first season in Saudi Arabia as he scored 23 league goals in 30 appearances, two short of Ronaldo's tally. Pairing up with the likes of Roberto Firmino - who left Al-Ahli this summer - and Riyad Mahrez in the attack, Toney also helped the club win the AFC Champions League title last season. At the start of the 2025-26 campaign, Al-Ahli lifted the Saudi Super Cup.

Toney and Al-Ahli will be back in action this Friday as the Saudi giants take on Al-Ettifaq in a league clash.