Lionel Messi has previously expressed his ambition to play for the same side as Cristiano Ronaldo, but it appears the two men are destined to continue as rivals.
The two football greats have shared the field with opposing sides for the better part of two decades, creating one of the greatest rivalries in football as fans continue to debate who is the better all-round athlete. Messi, 37, started his career at Barcelona in 2003 and spent 18 years at Camp Nou before switching allegiance to PSG on a free transfer in 2021.
During his La Liga days, the Argentine won ten league titles, fourteen domestic cups and four Champions Leagues, scoring 672 goals and providing 303 assists in 778 games. The forward also picked up seven Ballon d'Or awards during his time at Barcelona, etching his name into the annals of history as one of the side's greatest ever players.
Messi's rise to fame with the Catalan side was not easy, however, as Ronaldo and Real Madrid were at war in a fierce rivalry between 2009 and 2018. And while Ronaldo's two league titles, four domestic cups and four Champions League trophies with Los Blancos may come across as lackluster compared to Messi's achievements at Barcelona, the 39-year-old's tally of 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 games speaks for itself.
Add five Ballon d'Ors to the mix and it's easy to understand why so many fans struggle to choose the better player between Messi and Ronaldo. And while the two men have enjoyed a healthy rivalry on the pitch for both club and country over the years, Messi once admitted he would entertain the idea of working with Ronaldo at competitive level.
In a 2022 interview, Messi was asked about the prospect of playing alongside Ronaldo, to which he replied: “Yes, of course. I always like to play with the best, and he is one of them. I think it will be difficult for that “We would play in the same team, but of course I was lucky enough to play and participate with a lot of good players, and of course I would like to do the same with him.”
Messi teamed up with old Real Madrid foe Sergio Ramos during his time at PSG, where he won two Ligue 1 titles and a Trophee des Champions before making the move to Inter Miami in 2023. Ronaldo, meanwhile, moved to Juventus in 2018 and spent three. Years in Serie A before returning to Manchester United, the club where he enjoyed an unprecedented rise to superstardom.
The Portuguese legend made the move to Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr around the same time Messi moved to Inter Miami, and it seems the pair are highly unlikely to work together anytime soon as CR7 is under contract until June. 2025, while Messi has a contract in the United States until December next year.
Meanwhile, a huge wage bill could be another big factor in preventing the two men from joining under the same club. Last year it was reported that Inter Miami would have offered Messi a basic salary of between £40 million and £46 million, while Ronaldo himself was expected to earn around £177 million per year from Al-Nassr.
With both men approaching the final years of their respective football careers, time is certainly running out for Messi and Ronaldo to get the chance to actually work together – and unfortunately, it could be an example of the dream team that football fans never get. to see.
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