Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a cryptic attack on Lionel Messi and his much-publicised move to the MLS and Inter Miami.

“I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I opened the way to Saudi league and now all the players are coming here.”

Throughout their careers, the two players who have undoubtedly been the stars of the game have competed as rivals both individually and collectively.

At the height of La Liga in the early 2010s, Messi was the face of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona team, while Ronaldo became the main man of their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Now, as both are in the twilight of their footballing careers, they have ventured out of Europe to join two of the most relevant leagues away from the continent, MLS and the Saudi Pro League.

MLS vs Saudi Arabia

Now how do the Best XIs in each league compare?

It would have certainly been interesting to do this exercise a year ago before Ronaldo’s arrival and the influx of many of football’s biggest names. Especially as MLS has quietly grown over the past decade with the signing of David Beckham in 2007 being the pivotal turning point in the league’s trajectory.

MLS XI

GK: Roman Bürki

Across MLS, there are several talented goalkeepers including Andre Blake and Djordje Petrovic but the stand-out from an international point of view is the Swiss keeper, Roman Bürki. Formerly of Borussia Dortmund, the 33-year-old has been integral to St-Louis City’s impressive debut campaign.

CB: Walker Zimmerman

The only USMNT member in this XI, Zimmerman has consistently been one of the best defenders in MLS over the past few years. First for FC Dallas, then LAFC and now Nashville SC, Zimmerman is a solid box defender that doesn’t let many MLS attackers have a sniff.

CB: Yeimar Gomez Andrade

Gomez Andrade played all of his career in his native South America before joining Seattle Sounders in 2020. Since arriving he has been a strong presence for one of MLS’ most established franchises, helping them to qualify for the MLS Cup final in his first year.

CB: Giorgio Chiellini

The first of a few former European elites to make the MLS XI, Chiellini was one of the best centre-backs of his generation as he marshalled a stubborn Juventus backline from 2004-2022. Since heading to California, Chiellini has been in and out of the LAFC team due to a few injuries, which isn’t a surprise for someone who is now 38.

RM: Denis Bouanga

Chiellini’s teammate, Bouanga has taken the mantle from Carlos Vela as LAFC’s franchise player. The Gabonese international has shone for Steve Cherundolo’s side since arriving in MLS last year. Before his stint in the USA, Bouanga was performing well for St. Etienne in Ligue 1.

CM: Sergio Busquets

Despite not playing a single MLS game yet, it would be wrong to leave out a piece of European royalty. Busquets was arguably the most underrated member of Guardiola’s Barcelona super team. There are very few players that could have mastered that position quite like him, and he will now embark on a late-career jaunt in Miami to join a certain friend of his.

CM: Riqui Puig

Another member of the La Masia academy, Puig surprised many football fans when he left Barcelona for LA Galaxy last summer and despite the Galaxy’s struggles since his arrival, none of this can be put down to the Spaniard. He has mesmerised Californian crowds with some wonderful goals and assists leading many to believe he may head back to Europe sooner rather than later.

LM: Lucas Zelarayan

Supporters of Wales will now be aware of who Lucas Zelarayan is, after his two goals for Armenia in a recent international, but they will be pleased to know that that performance was certainly not a one-off. Since moving to Ohio in 2020, Zelarayan has carried on the theme of MLS being the place to be for talented number 10s.

RW: Lionel Messi

The man who the league has been waiting for, there is no two ways about it. Messi has the potential to elevate MLS to levels it has never reached before. Many within MLS believe the next two and half years (the length of Messi’s contract) will determine how the league is viewed far into the future, long after Messi’s time in Miami will be over.

LW: Thiago Almada

From one Argentinian at the end of his career to another at the start of his. It would be extremely unfair to compare Almada with one of the greatest players of all time. But the 22-year-old is certainly making a name for himself in Atlanta, his trademark at the minute is his free-kick ability and there are many casting eyes from Europe including Napoli, where another Argentinian icon is heralded.

ST: Hany Mukhtar

To complete the MLS XI is the current MLS MVP, until Messi’s arrival there has not been another MLS side that has built their attack around one man, quite like how Nashville has built theirs around Mukhtar. But it is understandable as to why, not only did he claim the main individual prize last season, but he is also on course to maintain the award with the German leading the league in goal contributions yet again.

Saudi Pro League XI

GK: Edouard Mendy

The first of many players to head to Arabia this summer. Mendy’s time in the limelight was short but sweet, only spending three years at Chelsea but was a key performer in the London club’s Champions League victory in 2021.

CB: Ahmed Hegazy

A former West Brom player isn’t what many people would expect to find in the best XI for a newly rich league, but the Egyptian was a huge reason that Al-Ittihad won the league last year, beating Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr to the title.

CB: Kalidou Koulibaly

Like his Senegalese teammate, Mendy, Koulibaly also departed Stamford Bridge after a short spell there. Despite struggling in his one season at Chelsea, Koulibaly built a strong reputation for his performances at Napoli, ones that Al-Hilal will hope he can replicate.

CB: Ghislain Konan

The least well-known member of the XI, Konan is a left-back by trade and spent most of his career playing for Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal and Stade Reims in France. The Ivorian arrived at Al-Nassr last summer but may already be set to be replaced with Alex Telles expected to arrive from Manchester United.

RM: Jota

At only 24, Jota is the youngest of the new arrivals in Saudi Arabia. It wasn’t until he joined Celtic that he was able to showcase his undoubted potential with struggles at his hometown club, Benfica and Real Valladolid. But once he landed in Scotland, he left his previous issues behind with two seasons of double figures in both goals and assists.

Arguably one of football’s most high-profile mysteries, how did Milinkovic-Savic never play in the Premier League? Every summer, the Serbian was linked with a move to England, but nothing ever became formal. Now, after arriving in Riyadh, it is unlikely that we will ever see Milinkovic-Savic make the much-talked-about move.

CM: N’Golo Kante

Another member of the Chelsea exodus to Saudi Arabia, Kante was certainly the most prevalent of the trio in his seven years in west London. He won every trophy under the sun, including the World Cup with France in 2018 while gaining a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

LM: Anderson Talisca

Talisca has forged an interesting career, becoming one of the most talented players not to venture into any of the top five leagues, quite similar to his former Brazil teammate, Hulk. The 29-year-old has played in both China and now Saudi Arabia, the two largest threats to the West’s dominance in football over the past few decades.

RW: Roberto Firmino

Firmino’s arrival at Al-Ahli follows an increasing trend of Liverpool legends heading to the Middle East. Robbie Fowler is managing in the second tier, Steven Gerrard has taken over at Al-Ettifaq and both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho could arrive soon.

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo

The catalyst for the Saudi Arabia revolution, Ronaldo joining the league was met with much doubt at the time. But despite being 38 and his career winding down, Ronaldo has spearheaded the league’s attack on world football and is certainly one of the main reasons for other players as mentioned above, arriving in Saudi Arabia.

ST: Karim Benzema

Many at Real Madrid expected the 35-year-old to stay in the Spanish capital for another season, but Benzema saw an opportunity to join Al-Ittihad and lead the club’s defense of the title next season. The Frenchman also spoke about his desire to play in a Muslim country as a devout Muslim himself.

So which league comes out on top?

There is no doubt that the Saudi Pro League has the better XI with more well-known stars, although there is certainly still a lack of defenders.

The only caveat as expected is that the MLS XI is spread out more evenly throughout the league, whereas the Saudi XI is kept to the four clubs that have benefited from government investment.