Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo seriously considered quitting his career three years ago. And this, thanks to Lionel Messi.
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has contemplated retiring in 2019, his biographer Thierry Marchand reveals. The Portuguese was ready to say enough because he couldn’t stand Messi stealing his new Ballon d’Or.
In the latest issue of France Football, the author evoked a conversation with Ronaldo in 2019. “When you’re successful, it’s easy to stay in your bubble without leaving your comfort zone, he started by relying on him. I decided to go to Turin, to change club, championship, football culture. I put myself in danger. I took this risk which I’m sure made me lose the Ballon d’Or last year. I don’t regret anything, but…”
“Proof of Ronaldo’s dislike of Messi”
CR7 digested the 2018 bankruptcy in favor of Luka Modric. But much less that of the following year. He said at the time: “If (Lionel) Messi wins an award this year, I will retire from football.” A strong statement that greatly surprised Marchand. “The accusation was as startling as it was violent,” he said. Instinctively she saw herself as a dissuasive threat and noticed all the aversion inspired in her by the man without whom she would have reigned, without sharing and without ambiguity, over the kingdom of penguins, as the football world is nicknamed.
Messi won the Ballon d’Or in 2019 when he was still a FC Barcelona player. And he did it again in 2021 when he was sold to PSG. Ronaldo, has not had the chance to lift the most prestigious individual awards since 2017. It’s a safe bet that his number of Ballon d’Ors won will remain locked at five.
