Latest news with #CristianoRonaldo
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo says he made Cristiano Ronaldo Club World Cup offer
River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo says he made informal contact with Cristiano Ronaldo over representing the Argentine side at the 2025 Club World Cup. Ronaldo, 40, confirmed earlier in June he would not be at the tournament despite receiving multiple offers. Gallardo, 49, previously coached Ronaldo when he took charge of a Riyadh All-Stars team for a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. He explained the five-time Ballon d'Or winner considered his proposal to play for River Plate at this summer's tournament but turned it down to focus on next season. Advertisement 'In mid-March, informally, through a mutual friend, I told him, 'Hey, I have a Club World Cup coming up, for a player like you, who defined an era… don't you have any intention of playing in it?'' Gallardo told ESPN. 'Not only did he feel recognised, but he evaluated it, thought about it, but then responded, 'I have to prepare for next season'.' Ronaldo's Al Nassr did not qualify for the Club World Cup, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an interview in May there had been 'discussions' and the Portugal international 'might play' for a team at the tournament. Ronaldo, however, later confirmed he would likely not be there. 'There have been a lot of conversations, but there are certain things that I see as making sense and not making sense,' he said at a news conference ahead of Portugal's Nations League final against Spain,. 'You can't go to everything, you have to think short, medium and long term. I've pretty much made up my mind not to go to the Club World Cup, but I've had plenty of offers.' Ronaldo did talk about the potential of one day play Al Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada also said this month it would have been 'completely counter intuitive' for his club to sign Ronaldo on loan from Riyadh rivals Al Nassr for the Club World Cup. River Plate beat Urawa Reds in their Club World Cup opener, and play Monterrey and Inter in their remaining group stage fixtures.
India Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Lionel Messi opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry: No friendship, but respect
Argentine football icon Lionel Messi finally opened up on his relationship with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, emphasising that while they aren't friends, there is deep mutual respect between them. Messi clarified that the lack of friendship isn't due to any personal rift, but simply because their paths rarely cross off the to DSports, Messi explained that the fierce competition between them always stayed on the field, especially during their iconic clashes in La Liga, when Ronaldo starred for Real Madrid and Messi led the line for Barcelona. Their legendary rivalry defined an entire generation of football, with both players pushing each other to extraordinary heights and amassing some of the most decorated careers in the sport's have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he's had and continues to have, because he's still competing at the highest level,' Messi told DSports. 'The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We're not friends obviously because we don't spend time together, but we've always treated each other with a lot of respect,' he at Inter Miami and Al Nassr respectively, both stars continue to make their mark. Just a few weeks ago, Cristiano Ronaldo also spoke about Messi in a press conference ahead of Portugal's UEFA Nations League final against Spain, stating that he had nothing but respect for the Argentine—a sentiment that mirrors Messi's recent delivered once again for Inter Miami, scoring a sensational free-kick to seal a 2-1 win over FC Porto in their Club World Cup Group A clash on June 20. The result marked a historic moment, as it became the first time a CONCACAF team defeated a European club in an official FIFA too rose to the occasion, scoring Portugal's equaliser in the Nations League final against Spain. The match went to penalties, where Portugal emerged victorious after Spain captain lvaro Morata missed the decisive spot-kick.
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘We're not friends': Lionel Messi on how relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo is based on mutual respect
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi said that while he had a tremendous amount of respect for eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the two superstars were not exactly friends. Messi said that this was not due to some kind of personal animosity but was down to the simple fact that the two superstars don't spend time together with their paths rarely crossing. 'I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he's had and continues to have, because he's still competing at the highest level,' Messi told DSports. 'The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We're not friends obviously because we don't spend time together, but we've always treated each other with a lot of respect,' he added. A few weeks ago, Ronaldo had also said that he had nothing but respect for Messi. 'I have affection for Messi, although we have been rivals for many years. As I have said in several interviews, we were on stage for 15 years. I translated for him at the galas. I have affection for him because he always respected me a lot,' Ronaldo had said ahead of Portugal's game against Spain in the Nations League final. On Friday, Messi's stunning free kick secured Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Porto in their Club World Cup Group A clash, marking the first time a CONCACAF team has defeated a European side in an official FIFA tournament. The Argentine great was pivotal as the Major League Soccer side bounced back from their disappointing goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly in their opening match. Inter Miami's win over Porto boosts their chances of a deep run in a tournament designed to pit champion clubs from across the globe against one another. The competition is taking place in 12 stadiums across the United States.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘We're not friends, obviously' – Lionel Messi gives rare glimpse into his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo
LIONEL MESSI declared 'we're not friends, obviously' as he gave a rare glimpse into his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. The veteran rivals are regarded as arguably the two best players to ever grace the beautiful game. 6 6 6 6 And their battle for legendary status has now been ongoing for over 20 years. Messi, 37, currently stars for MLS side Inter Miami after a dazzling career for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina. Ronaldo, 40, continues to tear things up for Saudi outfit Al-Nassr following glory at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. And the pair boast 19 league titles between them, as well as nine Champions Leagues and seven international trophies. As far as Ballon d'Ors go, Messi leads Ronaldo by eight of the individual honours to five. But despite their rivalry on the pitch, the pair have sought to play down reports of a grudge off it too. Ronaldo previously declared he 'admired' Messi's career while admitting son Cristiano Jr adored the Argentine's skills. Meanwhile, Messi believes they have enjoyed a 'great battle' and 'deserve credit' for leading the 'golden era' of football. Now, the World Cup winner has given a deeper glimpse into his relationship with his Euro-clinching counterpart. Admitting he's 'not friends' with Ronaldo, Messi told DSports: 'I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he's had and continues to have, because he's still competing at the highest level. 6 6 'The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. 'Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We're not friends obviously because we don't spend time together, but we've always treated each other with a lot of respect.' Ronaldo also had his say on Messi earlier this year. He declared: 'I have a good relationship with Messi. It was a healthy rivalry, we got along.'
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lionel Messi offers rare glimpse into relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘We're not friends'
Lionel Messi has provided a rare glimpse into his relationship with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo by admitting the two footballing superstars are not friends. The legendary pair formed a rivalry that defined a generation, becoming two of the most decorated players in history across their respective esteemed careers. They have won a combined 13 Ballon d'Ors - Messi with eight, and closest foe Ronaldo with five - and scored almost 2,000 goals for club and country between them, on top of the plethora of team accolades collected. But despite sharing the spotlight for the best part of the last 20 years, the lives of Messi and Ronaldo rarely intertwine off the pitch, something the Argentinian magician has lifted the lid on. 'The competition with him was on the pitch,' he told DSports. 'Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. 'Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We're not friends obviously because we don't spend time together, but we've always treated each other with a lot of respect.' Messi, 38, and Ronaldo, 40, are both in the twilight of their careers, playing their football out of Europe's elite for Inter Miami and Al-Nassr respectively. That said, Messi is still proving he can hang with the world's best in the Club World Cup, with his stunning free-kick proving the difference against Porto in a 2-1 win on Thursday night. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is not competing at the inaugural rendition of the new-look competition in the United States, rejecting an approach from River Plate as he appears set to stay in Saudi Arabia. Messi nevertheless faces a race against time to catch up to Ronaldo's all-time goal tally of 938, with the former Barcelona sensation currently sitting on 866, albeit in 174 less appearances for club and country than his Portuguese rival.
