Cristiano Ronaldo has always sought to be the best in everything he does. However, since Lionel Messi’s rise, the Portuguese has been forced to share individual honors with the Argentine, especially in the Ballon d’Or race where the Parisian has largely come away.
Both players have always shown their admiration for each other in the media, but it looks different behind the scenes. At least, that’s the impression left following the surprising revelation of writer Thierry Marchand, who spoke at length with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2019 to write his biography.
→ READ ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo confides: “I think that everything that happens in life is not due to chance”
According to the French writer, Cristiano Ronaldo would have promised to put an end to his football career if his rival Lionel Messi, eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League once morest Liverpool that same year, won the Golden Ball. “It’s easy to stay in your bubble when you’re successful. I took a risk by coming to Turin. I changed club, league, footballing culture, I put myself in danger and it is this risk which, I am sure, made me not win the Ballon d’Or in 2018 If Messi wins the Ballon d’Or this year, I quit football,” CR7 said as revealed by Portuguese daily A Bola.
Ronaldo found himself sadly confronted with reality when Messi won his sixth Ballon d’Or in 2019, and a seventh in 2021. This latest victory has also prompted a reaction from Ronaldo on social networks with his famous “Factos “, calling into question the triumph of the Argentinian.
→ READ ALSO: Ballon d’Or – Pascal Ferré lets go: “What Cristiano Ronaldo told me regarding Lionel Messi”
→ READ ALSO: Portugal: Big blow for Cristiano Ronaldo, he breaks the silence
