‘I won’t even waste my time’ - Zlatan Ibrahimovic offers brutal response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ligue 1 criticism as PSG legend insists Al-Nassr star has ‘no evidence’ on Saudi Pro League

Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo – who has spent time in Portugal, England, Spain, Italy and the Middle East – said: “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.”

Such a bold statement has, unsurprisingly, sparked lively debate regarding the merits of the two division’s in question and where each one stands on the global scale of competitiveness. Ibrahimovic is well placed to offer an opinion having registered 156 goals across four seasons at PSG.

The enigmatic Swede is, however, reluctant to grant Ronaldo the kind of bites that he is fishing for, with Ibrahimovic saying: “There is nothing to answer - you can't debate something when there is no evidence for one side. PSG is one of the great clubs of Europe in a very good league. Maybe only Spain and England can for sure say they are a superior league. I can't even reply to a suggestion that the Saudi League is superior - I wont even waste my time.”

Ronaldo appears to have ended any talk of returning to Europe in 2025, with a lucrative contract extension set to be agreed at Al-Nassr, while Ibrahimovic is working with USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah as a senior advisor to AC Milan’s ownership group.