Lionel Messi asked a question of Cristiano Ronaldo following the Portuguese’s move to Juventus that “showed the rivalry”, says Kevin-Prince Boateng.
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- Portuguese icon moved to Italy in 2018
- Left Argentine rival behind in Spain
- Superstars battling for GOAT recognition
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo opted to take on a new challenge in Italian football during the summer of 2018. He had spent nine years prior to that competing against eternal rival Messi while on the books of Real Madrid.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Messi – who has seven Golden Balls to his name – was with Barcelona at the time and saw ex-Ghana international Boateng join him at Camp Nou in 2019. The Argentine icon clearly takes an interest in how Ronaldo is getting on, as the superstar duo battle for GOAT recognition, and he was eager to know how the Portugal international would fare in Serie A.
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WHAT THEY SAID
Boateng, who took in a brief loan spell at Barcelona, has told Rio Ferdinand’s : “He [Messi] is the captain but doesn't speak. We spoke one time in the shower because he asked if it's difficult to score in Italy because Ronaldo was there at that time, and he showed the rivalry between them. I told him that it was more difficult that Ronaldo was there, and he scored every game for three years. People forget too easily what he's done there.”
- Getty/GOAL
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Ronaldo hit 101 goals through 134 appearances for Juve before returning to Manchester United in 2021. Messi was also on the move that summer as he severed career-long ties with Barca and headed for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent. He is now with Inter Miami in MLS, while Ronaldo started the trend of household names heading to Saudi Arabia when joining Al-Nassr early in 2023.
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