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Cristiano Ronaldo urged Lionel Messi to move to Italy back in 2018 when the Portuguese superstar was playing for Serie A giants Juventus.
Ronaldo joined the Turin-based side in a €117 million move from Real Madrid in the 2018 summer transfer window. His move to Italy brought an end to a long-standing rivalry in La Liga between the two legends of the game.
Messi continued to ply his trade for Barcelona for three more years before joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
When asked by reporters about his rivalry with the Argentine, Cristiano Ronaldo said in December 2018 (via Scroll):
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“I’d like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he’s happy there then I respect that.”
He was further quizzed if he misses Messi in Italy, in reply to which he said:
“No, maybe it’s him who misses me... I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain. Maybe he needs me more... For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make people happy."
“He’s a fantastic player and a good guy, but I don’t miss anything here," Ronaldo added. "This is my new life and I’m happy. I left my comfort zone and took on this challenge here in Turin, everything has gone well, I’ve proven I’m still an incredible player.”
Cristiano Ronaldo spent three seasons in Italy before returning to Manchester United in 2021. He left the Red Devils unceremoniously in November of the following year before joining Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
Messi, meanwhile, spent two seasons with PSG and has now joined Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.
The Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry in Spain
The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi started when the Portuguese joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009. The duo broke numerous goal-scoring records and often went toe to toe for every major individual accolade in club football.
Ronaldo went on to score 311 goals in La Liga in just 292 appearances before leaving for Juventus in 2018. Messi, on the other hand, scored 474 La Liga goals in 520 matches for Barcelona.
While the Argentine won 10 La Ligas and four UEFA Champions League (UCL) trophies with the Blaugrana, his rival won two league titles and four UCLs with Real Madrid.
Messi and Ronaldo have lined up against each other in 36 matches overall, with Messi scoring 21 goals in them as Ronaldo got 20. The former has seven Ballons d'Or to his name and the latter has won five.
