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Outspoken Cristiano Ronaldo fan and acclaimed English journalist Piers Morgan has taken a swipe at Lionel Messi for his flurry of posts with the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy.
Morgan has had a cordial relationship with the Portuguese icon for a while and he conducted an explosive interview with him last month. It eventually led to the forward and Manchester United parting ways via mutual consent.
Since then, Morgan's support for Cristiano Ronaldo has been vigorous and palpable, especially on social media. It has often come at the expense of Lionel Messi, who is, according to many, Ronaldo's rival in the G.O.A.T debate.
For those backing the former Juventus and Real Madrid forward in Qatar, the World Cup couldn't have gone any worse and 1990 World Cup winner Lothar Matthaus felt the same.
He said that Ronaldo's World Cup campaign was the extreme opposite of the one Messi had, where he won the trophy and the Golden Ball. Portugal, meanwhile, were sent packing in the quarter-finals by Morocco.
Following Argentina's win against France in the final, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker has been sharing his joy with his fans on Instagram. He has made five separate posts since his momentous win, which hasn't gone down well with Morgan.
He posted a photo of the former Barcelona forward's Instagram profile and captioned it:
"OK, Lionel.. we get it, you won the World Cup. You’re slightly over-egging the gloating soufflé now…"
At this point, Morgan is evidently trying to show his allegiance towards Cristiano Ronaldo by trying to diminish the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. For the Argentine, the World Cup win in Qatar was the crowning moment in his career.
The 35-year-old has also confirmed that he will not retire despite winning every major trophy in international football.
Was this the last World Cup for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
The showpiece event in Qatar was billed as possibly the last time fans saw Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo play at the FIFA World Cup.
The duo have represented their respective countries at five World Cups so far. Manager Lionel Scaloni has publicly stated that the PSG superstar is open to continuing with La Albiceleste for as long as he likes.
He said (h/t Express):
"We need to save him a spot for the World Cup 2026. If he wants to keep playing, he will be with us."
Ronaldo (37) was evidently ineffective and out of form, and did not make the starting XI in either of Portugal's knockout games. Perhaps this is also a warning for Lionel Messi to call it quits while he is at the top.
