Ronaldo’s Bold Statements in Controversial Interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV Spark Headlines

Within the controversial sit-down with Morgan, Ronaldo slammed the current state of the club, along with heavily criticising Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and former teammates including Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney, while he also tore into the attitudes of the younger players at the club

Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his admiration for his long-standing rival, Lionel Messi, describing him as ‘magical.’

Both players are widely considered as the greatest of their generation, and their dominance is evident in their impressive Ballon d’Or records.

Between 2008 and 2021, Ronaldo and Messi collectively won the prestigious award 12 times out of 13, with Luka Modric being the only exception in 2018.

While Messi holds the edge with seven Ballon d’Or victories compared to Ronaldo’s five, the immense mutual respect between the two players is undeniable.

In the second part of his interview with Morgan, which aired on Thursday, Ronaldo expressed his strong admiration for the PSG star.

“He is an amazing player, he is magic, top,” Ronaldo said.

“We have shared the stage for 16 years, imagine that, 16 years of sharing. So, I have a great relationship with him.

“I wouldn’t say we are friends in the sense of being together in each other’s houses, talking on the phone, but it’s like being teammates.”

“He’s a guy that I have great respect for, the way he always speaks about me. Even his wife and my girlfriend, who are both from Argentina, they always show respect.

“My girlfriend is from Argentina, and it’s wonderful. What can I say about Messi? He’s a fantastic person who does incredible things for football.

“Probably the best player I’ve ever seen, aside from myself. Maybe Zidane as well. In terms of players I’ve played against and competed with, yes.”

Ronaldo and Messi are undoubtedly the greatest footballers of their generation. However, there has been uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United, and Messi is in the final year of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The media has been discussing the next steps in both players’ careers in recent months.

Interestingly, there have been rumors linking both Messi and Ronaldo with a potential move to Inter Miami, the MLS franchise co-owned by David Beckham and managed by Phil Neville.

In a playful manner, Ronaldo later joked that if they were to play together on the same team, it would result in a significant increase in shirt sales.