"He has to have b***s to go to Real Madrid" - When Hugo Gatti urged Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona and replicate Cristiano Ronaldo to prove himself

Former goalkeeper Hugo Gatti once claimed in 2019 that Lionel Messi should emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and move to Real Madrid to cement his status among the greatest footballers of all time. At the time of Gatti's comments, the Argentine was still playing for Barcelona, and was yet to find international glory with Argentina.

Before his recent success with Argentina, Lionel Messi had lost three finals with La Albiceleste, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas. He was also unable to replicate Barcelona's success in the UEFA Champions League since the 2014-15 season.

Back in 2019, Gatti addressed Messi's struggles at the club and the international level in an interview on the TV show El Chiringuito de Jugones.

"It seems as if I am anti-Argentine, but until Messi performs in the big games, he will continue to be a player of home games. He has to have balls to go to Real Madrid and prove everything there like Cristiano [did]. Otherwise he will be just one more [player]," Gatti said.

The former Boca Juniors goalkeeper further claimed Messi only performs at home games, adding:

"Cristiano Ronaldo went to the best club in the world. Messi plays at home, on his pitch with everything [that comes with that in terms of home comforts]. Let him perform in the Champions League and the World Cup, otherwise he will always be one more [player].

"When he performs there, he will fight with [Johan] Cruyff, Maradona and Pele. Messi performs when they let him perform. It's very easy to perform with everything in your favor at home."

Since Gatti's comments, Lionel Messi went on to win the 2021 and 2024 Copa America, alongside the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina. The Argentine won his second Golden Ball award in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, awarded to the best player in the tournament.

Messi eventually left Barcelona in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), before moving to his current club Inter Miami in 2023. La Pulga left as one of the greatest Blaugrana legends of all time, scoring 672 goals and recording 303 assists in 778 appearances for the club across all competitions.

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"I hope he returns to his national team" - When Cristiano Ronaldo urged Lionel Messi to reconsider his decision to take international retirement in 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - Source: Getty

Shortly after Lionel Messi lost his third consecutive final with Argentine in the 2016 Copa America, the Argentine took a drastic step to retire from international football. Messi's decision came after Chile defeated La Albiceleste 4-2 on penalties in the 2016 Copa final, with the forward notably missing his penalty kick.

At that time, Cristiano Ronaldo notably offered support to his archrival, and urged him to reconsider his decision. As per comments widely reported by AS and Mundo Deportivo, Cristiano Ronaldo said (via ESPN):

"It hurts me to see Messi in tears and I hope he returns to his national team, because they need him. [Messi] is not used to defeats and disappointments, not even to finishing second. To miss a penalty does not make you a bad person. He has taken a difficult decision and the fans should accept it."

Cristiano Ronaldo had a successful 2015-16 season in both the club and international level. The Portuguese talisman notably won the 2016 Euros with Portugal and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in that season.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi eventually reconsidered his decision and returned to the Argentina national team a month after announcing his international retirement.