IT’S been 20 glorious years and the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate is still raging on.
Loyal fans bordering on obsessive dominate social media backing up their idol – or, more often, tearing down the other.
For years, the pair locked horns in LaLiga, fiercely contesting El Clasico as Barcelona and Real Madrid’s rivalry was amped up yet another notch.
In recent years, the pair have moved on… Messi to PSG and Ronaldo to Juventus and Manchester United.
Now the famous frenemies have turned their backs on Europe altogether.
First, Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and endured a mixed bag after his Man Utd contract was torn up following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
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But Ronaldo, 38, clearly started a trend as Saudi clubs became increasingly confident the marquee signing would lead to an influx of big-name arrivals.
And they were right… N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Steven Gerrard are just three world-famous mega-stars to head to the Middle Eastern league.
But Messi, 36, took another path… rather than open yet another chapter in his rivalry with Ronaldo, the Argentine joined David Beckham’s MLS franchise, Inter Miami.
It took just ONE DAY for Ronaldo to stick the oar in, as he bizarrely took aim at his two-decades-long rival.
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Ronaldo insisted: “The Saudi league is better than the MLS.
“I opened the way to the Saudi league and now all the players are coming here.
“I’m sure I won’t play in Europe again. I want to play in Saudi Arabia.”
Messi, in turn, has remained tight-lipped – as he so often has during his career, allowing his football to do the talking.
But how do the two leagues compare? Is the Saudi Pro League better than the MLS, as Ronnie claims?
SunSport takes a look at life in both league… on and off the pitch.
MONEY
Let’s be honest, football is becoming less of a sport and more of a business.
An influx of super-rich owners has changed the game in the last few decades. And now, money is king.
Ronaldo was offered a staggering, unprecedented £175million a year to move to Al-Nassr.
That equates to a simply ludicrous £3.4m a week.
Messi, opting for the MLS, is on a slightly more modest £45m a year – or just shy of £1m per week.
The big issue with the US league is the wage cap. Each club can only spend £5.2m per season on the whole TEAM.
So Messi is believed to have had his wages topped with with incentives and sponsorships from the likes of Apple and adidas.
The average MLS salary is just shy of £300,000 per year – or around £6,000 per week.
Meanwhile, in the Saudi Pro League the mean salary – prior to the influx of superstars – was around £20,000 per year, just £375 per week.
PLAYERS & MANAGERS
Prior to Messi’s arrival, the MLS had already welcomed some big-name footballers.
David Beckham was the first mega-star, while the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale have followed in recent years.
Carlos Valderrama, David Villa, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, Sebastian Giovinco and Landon Donovan have also played huge roles in promoting the US league.
Currently the biggest names, Messi aside, are arguably Lorenzo Insigne and Xherdan Shaqiri – with Leo’s ex-Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets also heading to Miami.
The Saudi Pro League – while making huge moves in 2023 – have historically not had quite such big names join.
We’ve already mentioned Ronaldo, Kante and Benzema, but the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Marcelo Brozovic have all moved this year.
Prior to that though, there was some solid if unspectacular names to grace the Middle Eastern League.
Those included Ever Banega, Vincent Aboubakar, Brad Jones, Paulinho, Bafetimbi Gomis, Marko Marin, Christian Atsu, Georgios Samaras, Wilfried Bony and Odion Ighalo.
On the managerial front, the Saudi Pro League has recently welcomed ex-Premier League chiefs Steven Gerrard and Slaven Bilic, with Nuno Espirito Santo joining last year.
As for the biggest managerial name in the MLS? Tata Martino… the man who managed Messi at Barcelona and Argentina, with the pair now reunited in Florida.
BRAND
Of course, Messi and Ronaldo are not just footballers.
Like Michael Jordan or David Beckham, they are a brand.
And you’d have to say USA probably edges Saudi Arabia on that front.
Messi is already the face of some of the biggest companies in the world, including Pepsi, adidas, Lay’s, Jacob & Co and Gatorade to name a few.
The majority of those companies are either US or European based.
And the same goes for Ronaldo’s biggest endorsement deals – most-notably Nike and his own range of underwear, CR7.
While still a huge name in Saudi Arabia you could argue his global, ambassadorial appeal is more limited.
However, Ronaldo WILL be exposed to a wider audience.
Prior to the Portugal legend’s arrival at Al-Nassr, Saudi Pro League matches had an average viewership of 800,000 per game.
That figure skyrocketed to 12million per game after his move to the Middle East.
The MLS, dwarfed by American favourites the NBA, NFL, MLS and NHL has an average reach of 343,000 viewers per game.
That is expected to rise rapidly after Messi makes his debut – but 12m would be a huge ask.
LIFESTYLE
Let’s be honest, Miami isn’t exactly known for being a tame place.
The US city is one of the party capitals of the globe.
From nightclubs and beaches to the relatively new Formula One race which hits the marina each year, it’s a lively, bustling place to visit.
Messi had already invested in a number of apartments overlooking the ocean before he’d even moved to the States.
Ever the savvy businessman, the Argentine knew it was a place he could make some cash.
Of course, that’s just Miami… there are 30 teams in the MLS with two based in Los Angeles, two in New York, one apiece in Chicago, Boston, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington DC to name a few.
There’s even a chance to enjoy what Canada has to offer, with teams in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has a somewhat different vibe – with alcohol prohibited in the dry nation, although there may be a workaround for Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq squad.
Ronaldo is based in Riyadh, which has hosted a number of big boxing fights in recent years – and is even set to welcome Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou following Tommy Fury’s fight with Jake Paul.
It’s becoming more and more open to the world of tourism thanks to its love of sport and the influx of famous footballers certainly won’t hurt that.
COMPETITION
But what about the football?
The MLS has 30 teams split across an Eastern and Western Conference, culminating in a knockout-style playoffs campaign for the top eight teams in each.
However, whatever happens, you cannot get relegated – which is good for Messi with Inter Miami currently bottom of the East.
Aside from the league, there’s also the US Cup – akin to the FA Cup in England – and the Leagues Cup, comprised of teams from the MLS and Mexico’s top-flight.
There’s also the CONCACAF Champions Cup – the equivalent to Uefa’s Champions League – consisting of teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The winner of that qualifies for the Club World Cup, featuring the best teams on the planet, including the Uefa Champions League winners.
Finally there’s the one-off clash between the MLS winners and LigaMX division for the Campeones Cup.
Saudi Pro League teams also have the chance to qualify for the Club World Cup, should they win the AFC Champions League – featuring the top teams in Asia.
In fact, they will host the tournament this coming winter.
There’s also the Arab Club Champions Cup, comprising of the top teams in the Arab world.
Clubs also have the King Cup – which has had many format changes since its 1957 inception – but is essentially their club knockout tournament.
There’s also the ‘Community Shield’ clash between the winners of the Pro League and the King Cup, called the Saudi Super Cup.
STADIUMS
So we’ve heard of groups of mates heading to Spain or Italy for a long weekend of watching football at the Nou Camp or San Siro.
But what about a trip to the US or Middle East for a match?
There are a host of major stadiums in America… even high school American Football teams boast whopping grounds.
While the MLS might not feature the US’ largest arenas, there are plenty of big’uns.
Atlanta United’s 71,000-seater opened in 2017 to a great reception from fans, while Charlotte FC can welcome close to 75,000 supporters in their ground.
But in general, the average stadium capacity for Messi, will be between 18,000 and 30,000, with Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium hosting 21,000.
For Ronaldo, his Al-Nassr side play at the 25,000-seater Al-Awwal Park.
The biggest arena in the league is based in Jeddah – with the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, home to AI-Ittihad and AI-Ahli and nicknamed “The Jewel”, hosting over 62,000.
Al-Hilal’s 56,000-seater King Fahd International Stadium is the second biggest, with no other reaching 40,000-plus.
However, the stadiums in general hover around the 10,000 to 20,000-mark in the Middle Eastern nation.
VERDICT
Well, there are certainly plenty of factors to consider, as we’ve taken a good, long look at above.
But for those who love stats, numbers and concrete winners and losers, we do have a victor.
Sorry to say, Cristiano, but your old mate Leo comes up trumps here.
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According to a January study by sports intelligence agency Twenty First Group, the MLS is ranked as the 29th best division in world football.
The Saudi Pro League was down in 59th…
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
