Christiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi have been compared for almost two decades, and even with both stars playing in emerging leagues, the debate has not abated. In fact one former Ronaldo teammate at Al Nassr has focused on Major League Soccer while defending the Saudi Pro League.
One of the players who made a strong impact at the club before Ronaldo’s high-profile arrival Anderson Talisca. The Brazilian played for four years with the SPL between 2021 and 2025and became one of the Portuguese star’s most reliable attacking partners.
In an interview with Brazil’s Bahia in May 2025, Talisca compared the two competitions and made its position clear: “The Saudi competition has never been as weak as it is now MLS. When Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami went to Saudi Arabia and lost 6-0 – and I scored three goals – it happened on my birthday.“
Talisca was referring to the match between Al Nassr and Inter Miami in February 2024. In that game, with Messi on the pitch and Ronaldo watching from the stands due to an injury, the Saudi team dominated in a 6-0 victory. Talisca celebrated his hat-trick by performing the “Siu,” Ronaldo’s iconic celebration.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Anderson Talisca celebrate after scoring for Al Nassr.
The current Fenerbahce player did not stop there and made another attempt in the North American competition. “There is no way to compare them, both competitions are completely different. The league in which Messi plays has players who play and then go to university to study; That alone makes you see a big difference,” he said, dismissing MLS.
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The time when Talisca targeted Ronaldo
Despite his praise for the SPL, Talisca’s departure from Al Nassr was far from smooth, with Ronaldo’s influence within the squad and the league growing significantly. In March 2025, While Colombian striker Jhon Durán was heavily criticized for Al Nassr’s poor form, Talisca stepped in to defend him.
Responding to fans on social media, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “He (Duran) is a great player and will mean a lot to this club. The problem is that you always want to find someone to blame for the defeats, but you don’t see where the real fault lies.. Stop behaving like this all the time. You know where the mistake is, you’re just afraid to say it, lol.”
As Durán became a scapegoat, Talisca reflected on the situation. “And besides, you want to do to Durán what they did to me, to benefit othershe added, a comment that was widely interpreted as a jab at Ronaldo, who was struggling with his form at the time but remained largely shielded from criticism.
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