RONALDO AND MESSI COULD PLAY TOGETHER
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may be about to play together for the first time in their illustrious careers, according to a surprising new plan.
The two football legends, both widely considered the greatest players of all time, have spent years being compared to each other, especially during their time at Barcelona and Real Madrid, before Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018. Between them, they have amassed 13 Ballon d’Or trophies – Ronaldo with five and Messi with eight.
When it comes to their competitive record, Messi leads with 16 wins to Ronaldo’s 11, along with nine draws. Over the years, Messi has scored 22 goals against Ronaldo, while the Portuguese forward has netted 21.
Their last encounter came on January 19, 2023, when Riyadh All Stars (featuring Ronaldo) faced PSG (featuring Messi). In that thrilling 5-4 victory for PSG, Messi scored, while Ronaldo netted a brace.
At the time, many fans believed that this match might be the last time the two stars would face off, given that Messi now plays for Inter Miami in MLS and Ronaldo represents Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. However, a stunning development suggests they could be reunited — and potentially as teammates.
According to ESPN, Ronaldo and Messi could both feature in Carlo Tevez’s farewell match in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The former Manchester United, Juventus, and Argentina star confirmed that he is planning the game, stating, “Yes, I’m going to do it. We just have to figure out when. It’s not easy.”
Tevez added, “Leo Messi, Cristiano… we’re going to bring them. I’ll go get them myself. I have them saved in my WhatsApp.” He also mentioned a star-studded lineup, including his former teammates from Manchester United and Juventus, such as Edwin Van der Sar, Gianluigi Buffon, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Patrice Evra, Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes, and Wayne Rooney.
Tevez, who retired in 2022, played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United and Messi with the Argentina national team, making him one of the few players who has experienced both legends’ playing styles up close.
When asked in 2018 to settle the debate on who is the greatest between the two, Tevez weighed in: “Cristiano is totally different to Messi. When Leo was starting out, he didn’t touch a gym. But Cristiano was there in the morning, afternoon, and evening, all the time. Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo, it comes naturally. Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For Messi to score three goals in a game is normal.”
Should Ronaldo and Messi play together in Tevez’s farewell match, it would be a momentous occasion in football history, marking the first time the two icons share the same team.