Credit: Twitter
The biggest rivalry in football has appeared to be finished with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi both playing out of Europe this season. However, the world hasn't stopped talking about two of the greatest ever to play the game. Recently, former AC Milan forward K evin-Prince Boateng weighed in on the Messi and Ronaldo debate and admitted lying about his choice in the past.
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Boateng appeared on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube show Vibe With Five and talked about what Lionel Messi asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's success with Juventus during the German's brief stint at Barcelona in 2019. Boateng said, "He [Messi] is the captain but doesn't speak. We spoke one time in the shower because he asked if it was difficult to score in Italy because Ronaldo was there at that time, and he showed the rivalry between them. I told him that it was more difficult that Ronaldo was there, and he scored every game for 3 years. People forget too easily what he's done there."
In a video from the show, Boateng appeared to make a U-turn in the Ronaldo vs. Messi GOAT debate and said, "They asked who was the best player in the world, and I said, Messi. This one is one of the biggest lies. I usually always say the truth, but this time I had to lie to wear the Barcelona shirt at Camp Nou."
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Watch the video here:
Boateng slams Erik ten Hag over Cristiano Ronaldo treatment
Boateng, who retired from playing football in August this year, slammed Dutch manager Erik ten Hag for the disrespect he has given to Ronaldo during his second stint with Manchester United. Boateng said, "I think he has to go. What he did to Ronaldo and all the guys. He's not on the level to be the coach of Man United."
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After returning to Manchester United from Juventus in the 2021-22 season, Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 matches to finish as the Red Devils' top scorer across all competitions. However, things changed drastically after Ten Hag's appointment in the summer of 2022 as the Portuguese legend started just four Premier League games before leaving the club by mutual consent in November following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
The 36-year-old added, "Imagine, you have a top scorer then you just kick him out. Going against the best player in the team? You don't do that. You need to give him respect."
