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Cristiano Ronaldo has dealt a blow to fans who hoped he and his biggest career challenger Lionel Messi could rekindle their rivalry once again, insisting their time has run out. Messi and Ronaldo shared the stage for more than a decade at the top of football, mainly with Barcelona and Real Madrid, sharing 12 Ballon d'Or trophies between them in 13 years.
The Portuguese's move to Juventus ended their clash every season in 2019, before CR7's move to Saudi Arabia in January 2023 and Messi's move to Inter Miami this season, making for the first time they play on two different continents. The Flea's signing with David Beckham's MLS club was largely seen as the end of the pair's footballing dominance, and while there is still a chance they could cross paths on the international stage, a meeting at club level is now out of the question. is likely to happen. The 38-year-old was full of praise for his former rival in a recent press conference from the Lusitanian camp, claiming they have a huge mutual respect and commented that their rivalry was a delight for fans all over the world.
"Hate? I don't see things that way. The rivalry is gone ," replied the Portuguese on the eve of the match with Slovakia, when asked if the fans who adore him should hate Messi. " It was a beautiful rivalry, the spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo should not hate Messi and vice versa. We have been successful, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that's the most important thing. He has followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of whether I play outside Europe. From what I've seen, he's been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don't see the rivalry as such. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years.
I'm not saying we're friends, I've never had dinner with him, but we're professional colleagues and we respect each other ." Both Ronaldo and Messi are widely regarded as the greatest to ever play the sport, with the latter joining the exclusive group of players who have won the Champions League, World Cup and Ballon d'Or in December. Between them they have won around 79 trophies and are the only two to have scored over 800 goals: Ronaldo scored his 850th on Saturday against Al-Hazm for Al-Nasr. " It is a historical landmark", said Ronaldo about his achievement. "For me, the numbers I achieved, which I didn't think I could achieve, are a source of pride. But I want more. While playing football, the stakes must be high, you have to have big goals ."
Cristiano was not included in the list of 30 finalists for the "Golden Ball 2023" award, announced on Wednesday evening. Having won it five times in the past (second only to Messi's seven trophies), this is the first time in 20 years that the Portuguese legend has been left off the list. He is now preparing to lead his country in the next two European qualifiers. Roberto Martinez's side face Slovakia in Bratislava today, before returning home to take on Luxembourg in the Algarve. " We want to win these two matches. If we do, we are practically qualified ."
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