Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has laid down a challenge for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to join him in Serie A.
The pair went head-to-head for nine years in La Liga, while also contesting the title for the world’s best player.
Why has Ronaldo challenged Messi? Five key things to know…
- Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus in the summer, leaving Real Madrid after nine years.
- The Portuguese has now played in three of Europe’s top five leagues, having also won trophies with Manchester United.
- Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has spent his entire club career with Barcelona, and recently finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or.
- Ronaldo has jibed that Messi misses him, telling the Argentine to move to Italy to continue their rivalry.
- No player in Europe’s top five leagues has been directly involved in more goals than Lionel Messi (11 goals, eight assists) this season.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid in the summer and has continued his fine goalscoring form with 10 goals in 15 league games so far, while also finishing second in the Ballon d’Or awards.
Messi ended the award in fifth, and Ronaldo has gone as far as to claim the Argentine misses him, having played solely in Spain during his career.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia, Ronaldo said: “As for Messi, maybe it’s him who misses me…
“I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain.
“Maybe he needs me more… For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make people happy.”
It was then that Ronaldo threw down the gauntlet to Messi, challenging the Argentine to move to Italy.
He added: “I’d like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he’s happy there then I respect that.
“He’s a fantastic player and a good guy, but I don’t miss anything here. This is my new life and I’m happy.”
Only Krzysztof Piatek (11) of Genoa has scored more goals in Serie A than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 10 this season, though the Portuguese does boast a further five assists – the most direct goal involvements of any player in the Italian league.
Juventus are currently top of Serie A, dropping just two points from their opening 15 games of the season and are already eight points clear of the chasing pack.
Ronaldo vs Messi: who is missing who?
Though neither won the Ballon d’Or this year – the first time since 2008 – both Messi and Ronaldo have been in their usual fine form at the start of the new season.
Following Ronaldo’s move to Juventus, Rene Meulensteen spoke of the Portuguese’s rivalry with Messi and how it turned him into a better player.
He said: “Continuity at a high level: We all amaze ourselves for the season of Salah, but Cristiano and Messi have been playing at that level for years now.
“There were moments when Messi was unbelievable, but Cristiano, instead of sitting down, took the lead that he had to score more than he did, and he has an incredible winning mentality.”
But even with no Messi to contest with, Ronaldo has continued to hit the net, scoring with 10 of his 103 attempts on goal. Two of Ronaldo’s goals have also come from the penalty spot.
Meanwhile, back in La Liga, Messi is the competition’s joint top scorer with 11 goals from 61 attempts, having also played fewer minutes than Ronaldo.
The Argentine has also scored three direct free-kicks this season, including two in a 4-0 win over Espanyol at the weekend.
The post Cristiano Ronaldo baits Messi with Serie A challenge appeared first on Squawka News.
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