Do you want to see Ronaldo vs Messi in the final of this year’s world cup
As two footballing legends enter the latter stages of their careers, Cristiano Ronaldo fantasizes about playing against the “magic” Lionel Messi in the World Cup final.
As Portugal faces Ghana on Thursday before games against Uruguay and South Korea, the 37-year-old Ronaldo will be hoping to assist Portugal escape Group H.
Messi, 35, is traveling to Qatar with Argentina, one of the tournament favorites, who face Saudi Arabia to open Group C on Tuesday before playing Mexico and Poland.
In the World Cup championship game on December 18, former Real Madrid forward Ronaldo admitted he would love to face former Barcelona star Messi, with whom he fought for attention for many years.
“It’s too good, too good of a dream,” Ronaldo told Piers Morgan on TalkTV in his wide-ranging interview, in which he criticised Manchester United, senior figures at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick.
The two players have a combined total of 12 Ballon d’Or awards, with Messi’s record-breaking seven awards (two more than Ronaldo’s total) indicating a dominant spell in elite football for the evergreen pair.
Currently, Messi plays club football for Paris Saint-Germain, while Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United appears to be coming to an abrupt end due to the controversy surrounding his scathing remarks about his present employers.
Despite their storied rivalries throughout their careers, the Portugal international insisted that he has a “great relationship” with Messi and would like to share a meal with him.
“He is an amazing player, he is magic. As a person, he is top. We shared the stage for 16 years, imagine,” he added.
“I have a great relationship with him. I’m not a friend of him in terms of the guy who is at your house, speaking on the phone, no, but he is like a team-mate.
“He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me. Even his wife or my wife, my girlfriend, they always respect and they’re both from Argentina.
“What I am going to say about Messi? A great guy who does great things for football.”
Blaugrana legend Messi has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer or a fairytale reunion with Barca, who he left amid well-documented financial difficulties at Camp Nou in August 2021.
The future of Ronaldo appears unlikely to remain with United, though he suggested he would like to call an end to his playing career aged 40.
“I want to play two years more, three years more. So two or three years maximum,” he continued.
“I want to finish at 40. I think 40, will be a good age… But I don’t know, I don’t know the future.
“Sometimes you plan one thing for your life and as have said many times, life is dynamic. You never know what’s going to happen.”
