Saudi Pro League: Nathan Zézé disagrees with Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Nantes player Nathan Zézé, who has been playing for Neom since summer 2025, logically disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo's position on the Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first major star to join Saudi Arabia, in December 2022. The Portugal international has always praised the level of the Saudi league. The Al-Nassr forward even declared that the "Saudi Pro League is more competitive than Ligue 1", despite never having played in the latter.

Nathan Zézé challenges the claim

This opinion from the former Juventus player is not shared by everyone. Former Nantes player Nathan Zézé, who has been playing for Neom since summer 2025, disagreed with it.

"I don't think so. Ligue 1 is still a level above. The intensity is always high, unlike here, even if it is not necessarily that far off. When you play against the teams at the bottom, it is more complicated, and there are not many fans. Having played for Nantes, I know how important the supporters are. Here, the enthusiasm is lower because football is less developed than in France. It is one of the negative points," the French central defender said in an interview with Transfermarkt.

The French youth international nevertheless admitted that he had been surprised by the level and did not see a huge difference with the French league: "To be honest, I expected a lower level. But when you play against the top ten or twelve teams, it is really similar to Ligue 1. A lot of Saudi players would be good enough to play in Europe. They surprised me in a positive way."

Read also: Spain: Jesus de Miguel dies, criticized Jesus Owono deeply affected

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

Related teams and leagues

Pro League Saudi Arabia

Ligue 1 France