Ronaldo salutes Messi after Argentina farewell: ‘All my respect’
Cristiano Ronaldo has paid tribute to his great sporting rival Lionel Messi, a day after the Argentina legend played his last match for his country, a 3-0 friendly win over Benin in which the 39-year-old scored one goal and set up two more. Messi wrote a post on Instagram reflecting on his final international fixture […]
Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his respect for Lionel Messi, Argentina's legendary footballer, after Messi played his last match for his country. Messi, 39, scored one goal and set up two more in Argentina's 3-0 friendly victory over Benin, marking the first time he had spoken since revealing his farewell international match as the "saddest day" of his career.
In his post on Instagram, Messi reflected on his time with Argentina, thanking his family, friends, colleagues, and managers, as well as former coach Diego Maradona, for their support. Ronaldo praised Messi for his achievements, calling him "all my respect" for what he has achieved with Argentina and wishing him a "hug." The two rivals have dominated international and club football for over two decades, winning a combined 13 Ballon d'Or trophies between 2008 and 2023.
While Messi inspired Argentina to the final in the recent FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo found the back of the net three times but Portugal was eliminated at the last-16 stage. Messi made his debut for Argentina in 2006, finishing his international career with one World Cup appearance and two Copa America titles.
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