Wayne Rooney: Lionel Messi 'Won't Find it Easy' in MLS: "It's huge, especially with what's going on in Saudi, for the MLS to attract Messi. He won't find it easy here. It sounds mad, but players who come in find it's a tough league. The travelling, the different conditions in different cities, and there's a lot of energy and intensity on the pitch." -- Wayne Rooney
Messi is getting the best of both worlds - being paid by the Saudis to generate a bit of goodwill and then by MLS Inter Miami to actually play some football matches.
To the possible chagrin of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is wholly in the Saudi pockets. Disregarding the Nike money and all his business interests.
Ronaldo sniffed that the Saudi league is much better than MLS.
He's more or less obliged to say that. The lion's share of his prodigious salary is being paid by the Kingdom.
The real competition may be between Miami and Jeddah as to which city will be underwater first.
posted by beaverboard at 04:27 PM on July 18, 2023