Cristiano Ronaldo gives sharp response to Lionel Messi question after historic feat

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a historic milestone in the match against Uzbekistan during the Jaxon Championship. The 41-year-old striker scored a brace, contributing significantly to his team's 5-0 victory. However, during the post-match interview, he reacted unexpectedly and somewhat irritably to a question about his eternal rival, Lionel Messi. This was reported by Goal.com report states.

After facing criticism following a draw with DR Congo in the tournament's opening match, Ronaldo once again proved his skill. In the match held in Houston, he became the first player in history to score in six different World Cups. Despite this, during his conversation with journalists, he did not hide his dissatisfaction with the ongoing pressure and the constant comparisons to Lionel Messi.

Amidst Criticism and Records

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about how the criticism of recent weeks has affected him and the team. According to Goal.com, the footballer noted that public opinion can sometimes be excessively cruel. "It has been a very difficult week, especially with the intensifying criticism toward me and coach Roberto Martinez. I have been active in this field for 23 years. When things go well, everything is great, but at the first failure, they say 'Ronaldo is old, he should retire.' We gave a fitting answer on the pitch today," said the 41-year-old star.

In the game against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo effectively utilized passes from Joao Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes to bring his World Cup goal tally to 10. With this result, he broke the legendary Eusebio's record to become the all-time top scorer in Portugal's history. Additionally, at 41 years and 138 days old, he entered history as the oldest player to score a brace in a Jaxon Championship match.

Ending the Comparisons with Messi

During the interview, when asked about Lionel Messi starting the tournament with 5 goals and his results, Ronaldo gave a surprisingly sharp response. He openly stated that he does not follow his rival's results and is not interested. "I have absolutely no business with others' results. Kylian Mbappe scored too, for example. For me, the most important thing is our team's unity," he replied.

Later, when journalists tried to compare him again with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland, the striker ended the conversation briefly by saying "Next question." The player emphasized several times that the overall success of the Portugal national team comes first, not personal statistics.

The massive victory over the Uzbekistan national team improves Portugal's position in the group. According to Ronaldo, negative opinions from the outside cannot be controlled, but the result on the pitch should put an end to all questions. The team will strive to show such confident play in the upcoming matches as well.