The Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate between fans will probably get more intense. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has released a new book and it contains stories that could trigger word war between the fans of the two football superstars described as the best of their generation.
In his article at the Telegraph, Balague said that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have always been respectful of each other in the public. However, when one player is in the dressing room of his club, things are different.
"Ronaldo, perhaps as a symptom of the immaturity that marks so many footballers, thinks it necessary to put on a brave face in front of his team-mates, not be scared of Messi and to rise to the challenge. All very macho; all very false," Ballague wrote.
"And that is why, according to some Real Madrid players, CR7 has a nickname for him: 'motherf----r'; and if he sees someone from the club speaking to Leo, he also ends up being baptised 'motherf----r'.
It is not just what Ballague revealed about the relationship, or lack thereof, between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. On the same blog post, he said that Ronaldo's teammates at Real Madrid also have a long list of names for the Barcelona star.
"And the Madrid players, with their less than subtle dressing-room sense of humour, have a long list of jokes that include Messi as Ronaldo's dog or puppet, or kept in a designer handbag belonging to the Portuguese player. And much worse."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the most popular football players in the world. That alone is enough for fans and pundits to spark an endless cycle of comparison and debates. It also does not help that they are playing for two teams with the most intense rivalry. In the last six years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined for six Ballon d'Or awards and five World Soccer Player of the Year trophies.
Update: Cristiano Ronaldo has already spoken about the matter on his Facebook account and denied the accusations of Balague.
News are circulating that I allegedly made offending remarks regarding Lionel Messi. This is absolutely false and I have assured my lawyer takes action to sue those responsible. I have the utmost respect for all my professional colleagues, and Messi is obviously no exception.
