Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been compared for nearly two decades, and even now, with both stars playing in emerging leagues, the debate hasn’t slowed down. In fact, a former Ronaldo teammate at Al Nassr has taken aim at 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 was Anderson Talisca. The Brazilian spent four years with the SPL side between 2021 and 2025, becoming one of the Portuguese star’s most reliable attacking partners.
In an interview with Brazilian outlet Bahia in May 2025, Talisca compared the two leagues, making his stance clear: “The Saudi league has never been weaker than MLS. In fact, 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 February 2024 matchup between Al Nassr and Inter Miami. In that game, with Messi on the field and Ronaldo watching from the stands due to injury, the Saudi side dominated in a 6–0 win. 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 didn’t stop there, taking another shot at the North American league. “There’s no way of comparing them, both leagues are completely different. The league Messi plays in has players who play and then go to college to study; just from that, you can already see a big difference,” he said, dismissing MLS.
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The time when Talisca took aim at Ronaldo
Despite his praise for the SPL, Talisca’s exit from Al Nassr was far from smooth, with Ronaldo’s influence within the squad and the league growing significantly. In March 2025, as Colombian forward Jhon Durán faced heavy criticism 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 do a lot for 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 mistake lies. Stop acting 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 on top of that, you want to do to Durán what they did to me, to benefit others,” he added, a comment widely interpreted as a jab at Ronaldo, who was struggling for form at the time but remained largely shielded from criticism.
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