A one-time member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has moved to hit back at Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, over his recent comments regarding the standard of Ligue 1.
This comes, for those who may have missed it, after Ronaldo took firm aim at French football as a whole.
During an appearance at the Globe Soccer Awards on Friday, the Portuguese veteran made use of the opportunity to reveal his opinion that the Saudi Pro League is of a superior standard to Ligue 1:
“Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course. France only has PSG. The rest are finished. Try to sprint in 38, 39, 40 degree weather and see…”
Such comments caused quite a stir, culminating in widespread chatter and debate across the world of football.
Speaking during an appearance on French television this week, it therefore came as little surprise when precisely as much were put to Les Bleus icon Emmanuel Petit.
And, safe to say, the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder did not hold back in his response.
Accusing Ronaldo of seeking to look after his own best interests, Petit sniped:
“I’m not surprised. Since 2018 when Cristiano left Real Madrid, he has had more interviews than collective trophies. He has had very little impact on club and country. He is an ambassador of the Globe (Soccer) awards and I think he can’t deal with the fact that he is not the headliner of the biggest football awards (Ballon d’Or) anymore. His comments about Ligue 1 are baseless and are related to Messi and we all know that.”