Whether they like it or not, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be compared to each other for the rest of their lives. Both players have never done wrong off the pitch, and have been pure brilliance on it. Which is why this news from Spanish football writer Guillem Balague is so unexpected.
In an expert in the Daily Telegraph from Guillem’s book, "MESSI," he talks about Messi and Ronaldo’s relationship with one another. According to Guillem - and other onlookers of the two’s interactions – they are by no means friends, but have always been polite to one another in public settings. Fair enough. But apparently, behind closed doors, or in the Real Madrid training room, Ronaldo has some choice words for La Pulga.
“Ronaldo, perhaps as a symptom of the immaturity that marks so many footballers, thinks it necessary to put on a brave face in front of his teammates, not be scared of Messi and to rise to the challenge. All very macho; all very false. And that is why, according to some Real Madrid players, CR7 has a nickname for him: ‘motherf----r’; and if he sees someone from the club speaking to Leo, he also ends up being baptised ‘motherf——r.'”
There are more nasty remarks within the article. Ronaldo believes that he and Messi are “as different as a Ferrari and Porsche.” He has also made a comparison of their relationship to that of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Guillem states that there is a long list of jokes in the dressing room that include “Messi as Ronaldo’s dog or puppet” and that he is “kept in a designer handbag belonging to the Portuguese player.”
Cristiano Ronaldo got light of the situation and turned to his Facebook profile (which has over 100 million fans) to voice his opinion on the matter:
There may not be a tighter and more direct rivalry in football history than the one between Messi and Ronaldo. This rivalry will continue when Argentina and Portugal face-off in an international friendly at Old Trafford next Tuesday.
All in all, we’re not completely shocked by this whole situation, but we do struggle to believe the deep-seated dislike the rumor implies. While Ronaldo and Messi haven’t shown anything more than professional courtesy to one another, "mother-----r" seems like a stretch. Even though Guillem Balague is a respected Spanish journalist, perhaps this latest rumor is just that. A rumor.
But then again, perhaps not. Perhaps, in the end, jealousy has gotten the better of Ronaldo and the story is in fact true despite the star's protests otherwise. After all, Messi has 8 official world footballing records to Ronaldo’s one (which the two actually share). Which, if you're supposedly the world's biggest football star, must hurt just a little.
