The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has delivered its fair share of surprises, and the latest came with Manchester City’s early elimination. After Pep Guardiola’s side crashed out in the round of 16, the Saudi Pro League seized the moment to echo a quote from Cristiano Ronaldo with a bold message: “The GOAT told you.”
At Camping World Stadium on Monday, Al Hilal pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest shocks. After finishing regular time level, the Saudi giants—now coached by Simone Inzaghi—stunned City with a 4-3 win in extra time, marking yet another stumble for a European powerhouse on the global stage.
The result was not just a triumph for Saudi Arabian soccer—it resonated around the world. The Saudi Pro League’s official English account on X (formerly Twitter) responded by quoting Ronaldo’s previous comments: “The GOAT told you,” attaching a photo from the Al Nassr star discussing the league’s rapid rise.
The quote came from an interview in which Ronaldo praised the SPL’s development: “We’re still improving, but I believe that in this moment we’re in (the) top five (leagues in the world) already. This is why I want to stay, because I believe in the project.”
In the complete interview, Ronaldo also addressed the skepticism surrounding the league’s quality, aiming criticism at outsiders: “We showed in the last 2 years and a half that the league is going up all the time. Only the people who never played in Saudi don’t understand nothing about football and say that this leagues is not top 5. The people that played in this league, they know what I’m talking about.”
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Al Hilal entered the Club World Cup as the SPL’s lone representative, having just parted ways with Jorge Jesus. Under Inzaghi, the team not only held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw but also knocked out Manchester City to reach the quarterfinals, cementing the SPL’s growing presence on the global soccer stage.
Milinkovic-Savic echoes Ronaldo’s sentiment
The Saudi Pro League has often been dismissed when compared to Europe’s elite competitions, and even its players have taken notice. Following Al Hilal’s win, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic delivered a pointed response to critics in the post-match mixed zone.
“Let’s see now if they’ll criticize us,” Milinkovic-Savic said. “After these games, we showed them that they were wrong about the way they were speaking about the league. We showed it against Real Madrid, against RB Salzburg, Pachuca, we showed it tonight. Now I hope we continue to perform like this.”
SurveyIs the Saudi Pro League truly among the world’s top 5 leagues, as Ronaldo claims?
Is the Saudi Pro League truly among the world’s top 5 leagues, as Ronaldo claims?
