Why did Scolari not vote for Lionel Messi in the Ballon d'Or polls?
Former Portugal national team head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari addressed the eternal rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, explaining in his own way why he always chose the Portuguese star. Scolari noted that during his time managing Portugal from 2003 to 2008, he developed a relationship with Ronaldo that was not just professional, but like that of a father and son. This is reported by Goal.com .
In an interview with the "Abre Aspas" program, Scolari recalled an interesting conversation with Lionel Messi. "Messi said to me: 'Coach, you never voted for me for the Ballon d'Or, you always chose Cristiano.' I replied: 'I have to vote for Cristiano, he is like a son to me.' Messi is a natural genius. He knows where the ball is even with his eyes closed. Cristiano was not born a genius, he rose to the level of a genius through his willpower and hard work," says the Brazilian expert.
The coach also recalled the intense work ethic Ronaldo displayed during his early years at Manchester United. According to Scolari, Sir Alex Ferguson would often call him at the time, expressing concern that the young forward was overexerting himself in training. Ferguson would say: "Scolari, tell him not to practice free kicks today, he has already taken 30 here." But even when Cristiano came to the national team, he would not stop practicing extra.
Scolari also expressed his belief that Cristiano Ronaldo will reach the 1,000-goal mark in his career. He said that when he met the player a year ago, he asked him about it, and despite Ronaldo's humble denial, he saw the drive for this goal in his eyes.
During the conversation, Scolari also shared an emotional memory of how he delivered the news to the player when Ronaldo's father, Dinis Aveiro, passed away. In this incident, which occurred before an important match in Moscow, Ronaldo chose to take the field for the national team despite having the opportunity to go home. This event further strengthened the friendship between the coach and the player.
