Piers Morgan has made an assertive claim that Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi, despite the latter still playing in Europe. When news of the 37-year-old’s decision to play in Saudi Arabia hit the headlines, the football world was shocked.
His long-time on-field rival Messi had gone on to win the World Cup while competing in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, was out of Europe entirely, which many, including Jamie Carragher saw as not the best way to go out.
However, Piers Morgan believes that the Portugal international still has the “edge” over his Argentine counterpart, stating to Tatler:
“Thanks to the fall-out from our interview, Ronaldo signed the biggest transfer deal in football history, and is now the world’s highest-paid athlete, at the age of 37.
“He’s also doing what he’s done throughout his career, and which for me gives him the edge over Messi, and that’s challenging himself in a new country, and new league, at a time when football in the Middle East is really taking off, as we saw at the Qatar World Cup where Morocco reached the semi-finals and Saudi Arabia beat the eventual winners, Messi’s Argentina.”
Piers Morgan continued:
“He wanted freedom from Manchester United, where he rightly felt he had been badly disrespected by both the manager and senior club executives.
“Ideally, I think he’d have preferred to play for another top club in the Champions League for a year or two, but Al Nassr made him a staggering offer, and I think the fresh challenge of raising the profile of football in a new region of the world, at the twilight of his incredible career, really appealed to him.”
Lionel Messi continues to play for PSG, while Cristiano Ronaldo failed to find another European club
Cristiano Ronaldo was at Manchester United only recently, with his return to Old Trafford met with excitement and high hopes, but things quickly went downhill. He was eventually released from the team after his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Following the termination of his contract, his long-time agent Jorge Mendes was unable to secure a transfer to another European club. The superagent was eventually fired, and in the end, a deal was brokered by Cristiano Ronaldo’s friend Ricky Regufe with Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr.
Lionel Messi remains in Paris, where he looks set to snatch consecutive Ligue 1 titles. The Argentine playmaker has also guided the Parisians to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and could potentially win the continental competition.