Not even Portugal’s impressive five-nil defeat of Uzbekistan was enough for Lionel Messi’s name to become a comfortable topic for Cristiano Ronaldo. After the Portuguese team’s triumph in the World Cup, the famous number 7 experienced moments of clear discomfort in the mixed zone when he was asked twice about the renowned Argentine player. On both occasions, the matter was quickly finalized by the attacker.
First question about the historical rivalry
The first situation occurred when a reporter asked if Cristiano would like to meet Messi again in the decisive stages of the World Cup, in a possible outcome of the rivalry that marked an era in world football.
The star’s response was instantaneous: “I don’t know what to say to you, because it’s a question that makes no sense”, declared the Portuguese icon. Even though he recognized that a clash with the Argentine would be remarkable, he redirected his attention to Portugal’s campaign in the tournament. The media’s persistence in questioning this rivalry, even after a winning performance, highlights the lasting impact that the dispute between the two athletes has on the imagination of world football. “It would be great! But the most important thing was to win to get through the group and be prepared for what comes next. We know we will have a tough match against Colombia. I played well, I scored and helped the team, who did very well”, he added.
New reporter tries to address Messi’s topic
The most peculiar point of the press conference, however, was yet to come. In the final minutes of the conversation with journalists, another professional began a new question mentioning the performance of some of the most important athletes in the competition: “Yesterday, Lionel Messi scored twice, Mbappé…”. The sentence was not finished. Before listening to the rest of the question, Cristiano Ronaldo turned to a fellow journalist, gestured for him to take on the next question and promptly ended the subject with “Dale, dale, dale”.
This attitude generated a brief moment of surprise among the press professionals who were following the interview. Then, when asked if he would accept one more question, the Portuguese star made it clear that the topic in question would make all the difference: “It depends on the question, if not, I won’t answer.”
The Portuguese player expresses his confidence in his performance
Free from the issues surrounding Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo focused once again on his own performance, on the Portugal team and on the moment he is experiencing during the World Cup. Asked if he had finally achieved his best football in the tournament, the striker replied with remarkable conviction: “I always arrive, sooner or later, I’m there.” Afterwards, he reinforced the confidence he has in his own journey and the relevance of maintaining focus within the national team: “So it’s about continuing my work. I really believe in what I do, my career has always been like this. I’m very happy and the main thing is the team! Being united with them and our families, with what we can control. What comes from outside we can’t control. As I said, I’m used to it”, he concluded.
Group K classification remains open
On the sporting scene, Portugal fulfilled its mission, accumulated four points and provisionally took the lead in Group K. The classification situation, however, still depends on the result of the confrontation between Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Colombian athletes won in the opening round and can regain the top spot. The complete definition of the group will take place next Saturday (27), when Portugal and Colombia face each other in Miami. On the other side of the bracket, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uzbekistan will play simultaneously in search of the desired classification.