Cristiano Ronaldo: UEFA President Dismisses Al Nassr Star’s Chances of Champions League Return

• UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin has dismissed the likelihood of the participation of Saudi clubs in the Champions League
• Cristiano Ronaldo led a mass movement of top European stars to the Middle Eastern country
• Ceferin's comments end the reports that talks are ongoing over the involvement of Saudi clubs in the competition

The possibility of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo or a Saudi Pro League club in the UEFA Champions League appears to have hit a snag after the UEFA president's comments on the rumours.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January after the mutual termination of his Manchester United contract due to an unsanctioned and explosive interview with renowned broadcaster Piers Morgan.

He signed a world-record football contract when he joined the Saudi club, which is worth £177m annually. His move has influenced top European stars to make transfers into the league.

The Arabians offer irresistible salaries to the players. An example is the $1.6bn offered to Lionel Messi by Al-Hilal.

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Ceferin: No Saudi UCL participation

Speaking to L'Equipe ahead of the Champions League draw yesterday, Ceferin ended the rumours of Saudi clubs participating in the competition after top stars trooped into the league.

"A media outlet talked about this without even asking us," he said. "Only European clubs can participate in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League."

He also touched on the reports that the body is open to hosting finals outside of the continent:

"Only European federations can apply [to host] a final, not even clubs. We would have to change all our rules, and we don't want that," he added.

According to SportBible, who quoted CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, the Gulf states' investment won't be slowing down anytime soon, as they have budgeted up to £17bn to finance the league in years to come and make it one of the best in the world.

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Inter Miami invited to Copa Libertadores

Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi's Inter Miami have an invitation to participate in the Copa Libertadores next year due to the 2022 World Cup winner's arrival at the club.

The competition is South America's equivalent of the Champions League, and it affords Messi, a native of the region, the chance to participate in one of the few competitions he is yet to feature in.