They were no longer good enough — Man U legend blasts Ronaldo

Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke has delivered a scathing assessment of the recent moves by high-profile footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, to the Saudi Pro League.

Yorke, who himself enjoyed a successful stint at United, expressed his belief that players opting for the Gulf state league were doing so out of necessity rather than choice.

The Saudi Pro League has garnered significant attention this summer with the influx of prominent players such as Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves.

The league’s rise in prominence has been fueled by the investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which acquired control of top-tier teams like Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli.

The allure of riches has not only attracted these four teams but has also lured Europe’s elite talent.

While Ronaldo, a trailblazer for the exodus of players to the Gulf state, has praised the league’s quality, Yorke took a different stance. Responding to Ronaldo’s remarks in which he lauded the Saudi Pro League as superior to the Major League Soccer (MLS), Yorke expressed his skepticism.

The former United striker contended that players migrating to Saudi Arabia were doing so because they no longer possessed the requisite skill set to thrive in the European football landscape.

Yorke, renowned for his goal-scoring prowess during his United tenure, stated,

“The players who have joined that league, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, N’Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema, they were all in Europe when they were in their prime, they’ve gone to the Saudi Arabian league now they’re in their mid-thirties.”

He further emphasized that these marquee names were no longer in their prime and, as such, lacked the right to partake in the Champions League.