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Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a positive message to Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati as he continues his recovery from the knee injury he suffered last November.
The Juventus star took to his Instagram story and posted a video of the Spain international training in the gym alongside the message:
“Let’s go @ansufati. You will be back soon! Go for it!”
Fati was the latest breakout star from La Masia and was already earning rave reviews with the Barcelona first team, having broken several records in his brief career to date.
However, a knee injury has kept him sidelined for the last five months and this represented a major stumbling block to his fledgling career.
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Cristiano Ronaldo's message to the 18-year-old might come as a surprise to many, considering his previous ties with Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid.
However, the Madeira native had earlier posted another story of Fati tossing a Nike boot alongside several emojis with thumbs up and flexed biceps.
Both videos were prominent for their displays of the Nike logo (the boot in the first and ball in the second).
Cristiano Ronaldo's constant show of support for the Barcelona youngster might not be unconnected to the fact that they are both Nike athletes and have the same agent in Jorge Mendes.
However, it could also be that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is publicly expressing support for a teenager who many are tipping for greatness in the future. Similar to the position Cristiano Ronaldo found himself in almost two decades ago.
Can Barcelona and Real Madrid reenact the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry again?
For nine years, El Clasico transcended to newer heights, with the two greatest players of their generation lighting up the stage in Spain and on the continent.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are universally regarded as the two best players of this generation and among the best in history.
Their direct competition with one another at Spain's biggest clubs cut across socio-political, sporting and economic divides.
It also brought with it an extra boost in marketing appeal and sporting revenue, with hundreds of millions of fans tuning in every time both heavyweights clashed.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus in 2018 saw the league lose one of its greatest performers and attention has turned to who the next global superstars will be.
Ansu Fati is presently lighting up the stage at Camp Nou and although Real Madrid do not currently have any world-beating superstars in their ranks, the club have set in motion plans to sign potential superstars including Erling Haaland.
Barcelona are also in the market for some rising superstars, but it remains to be seen whether any iteration would have the same impact as that of Messi and Ronaldo.
