'Better to stay quiet' jibe aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo after Al-Nassr star's Ligue 1 criticism as France World Cup winner blasts Globe Soccer Awards ceremony for being 'all about rappers & diamonds'

Portuguese superstar Ronaldo, who plies his club trade in the Middle East for Al-Nassr, said at the Globe Soccer Awards: “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.”

World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit - who began his career in France with Monaco before going on to represent Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea – has told DisCasino of the comments from CR7: “Cristiano Ronaldo had some bad criticism, saying the Saudi Arabian league is better than Ligue 1. Come on, I have a massive respect for Ronaldo's career and his impact on football, but sometimes it's better to stay quiet and not say anything instead of gathering that attention.”

Petit was not a fan of the Globe Soccer Awards spectacle as a whole, adding on a glitzy event that took place in Dubai: “I didn't like his comments, I didn't like the ceremony either, it was all about singers, rappers and diamonds, you know? If I had the chance of changing the television off, I would, but I was in a studio so I couldn't. I didn't even know there was a ceremony like this. It was almost Real Madrid's ceremony with the awards they won, FIFA must have loved it.”

Ronaldo has seen a return to European football speculated on, potentially in Ligue 1 at PSG, but no definitive call on his long-term future has been made – with the evergreen 39-year-old vowing to honour a contract at Al-Nassr that is due to run until the summer of 2025.