- 22 hours ago
The one thing Ronaldo fears Messi can take from him
Paul Macdonald
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
- 4 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo is worried. So worried, in fact, that he has resorted to desperate measures in order to remind the world of his worth.
Ronaldo took aim at senior figures at Old Trafford and singled out manager Erik ten Hag in particular for criticism, stating that he has "no respect" for the man who is leading Man Utd - slowly - back to a respectable position in the Premier League.
Why would he do such a thing? Because he is scared Lionel Messi will claim his legacy from him.
MORE: Champions League all-time record goalscorers
As we have mentioned before, Ronaldo is staving off retirement for a number of reasons; some of them are financial, some are ego-driven, but the main one is confirming his legacy in the biggest club competition - the Champions League.
Ronaldo is currently out in front with 140 Champions League goals. As has been the case for most of football in its recent history, this is a two-horse race. Messi is the only player even close to him, on 129. Robert Lewandowski is way, way back on 91.
But Ronaldo knows one thing for certain - time is not on his side. His desperation to get a move to a Champions League club this summer wasn’t related to his desire to win the competition once again.
READ: How Cristiano Ronaldo has become Batman's Harvey Dent
No, he wanted to join a club that could line ‘em up for him to smash home. He wants to pad that record as much as possible to put himself in an unassailable position as the greatest Champions League goalscorer in history.
And despite a tournament expansion in the near future, it’s difficult to envisage anyone scoring with the incredible consistency of these two over the past decade-and-a-half. Anything that Ronaldo can add on at this late stage of his career - he is 38 in February - is in the injury time of his career and will be a bonus.
Europa League goals are no good for Ronaldo
Except for that little Argentine. Ronaldo’s muted celebration in netting against Sheriff in the Europa League on Thursday night was for a reason. The goal adds nothing to his legacy, is merely a minor addendum to his numbers. And he absolutely hates that. If it’s not going towards his bottom line, he doesn’t want to know.
And he knows that Messi has a couple of years on him. At the start of this season, Messi was on 125. Now he’s on 129, and counting. PSG will be one of the tournament favourites in the knockout stages and could go deep.
Not only that, Messi isn’t 36 until next June. He is 28 months behind Ronaldo and his game doesn’t require the all-out physical fitness that Ronaldo’s does. The current incarnation of Messi could go until he’s 40 and in that scenario another 12 goals to surpass Ronaldo doesn’t seem like a possibility - it's an inevitability.
THAT’s why Ronaldo is miserable in the Europa League. He can feel Messi’s breath upon his neck, moving in on his record and taking away his leverage. The Messi v Ronaldo debate will rage long after both men have gone but having cards that fanboys can play on the battlefield is vital, and Messi taking this one away would really hurt.
That’s something he fears as much as his own career coming to an end. This feels like a wasted year for him in that particular quest and you can see it in his mannerisms when he plays and more so when he doesn’t.
Ronaldo fears Messi - and with good reason.
