Inter Miami star, Messi, is expected to receive yet another Ballon d’Or in Paris next week.
Since Lionel Messi just stated that Cristiano Ronaldo should be crowned the “GOAT” in the discussion, Christophe Galtier won’t be receiving a Christmas card from Messi.
The Frenchman led Paris-Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 triumph last season while managing seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi. But over the summer, they parted ways, with Messi moving to the United States to play for David Beckham’s Inter Miami and Galtier taking over at Al-Duhail after leaving Parc des Princes.
Speaking after Ronaldo helped Al-Nassr win the AFC Champions League once more and keep their unbeaten record in the group, Galtier said the forward, who previously played for Real Madrid and Manchester United, is still the “best in the world.” Ronaldo, who has scored 21 goals in just 13 games this season, showed that he isn’t slowing down at the age of 38 by scoring two goals, including the game-winning goal, against Galtier’s Qatari team in the last ten minutes. “There’s not much you can do when you face Ronaldo,” he stated. I don’t know how to define him after his two exquisite goals. He is only 38 years old, and what he done is remarkable. He remains the world’s finest player.
Galtier and Messi’s relationship was certain to go south. The Argentina 2022 World Cup winner openly acknowledged that he was almost driven out of Barcelona after 17 seasons because of financial difficulties, although he never intended to join PSG in the first place. “My departure from Barcelona to Paris was not something I wanted, I did not want to leave and it happened from one day to the next, it also took a while for me to quickly get used to a totally different place both in the city and in sports and made difficult,” Messi said in a press conference in Miami. “But that is the complete opposite of what is happening to me here, thank God.”
Although Messi is the odd favourite to win his eighth and possibly final Ballon d’Or in Paris on October 30, Ronaldo may have received Galtier’s vote of confidence. In his 14 MLS games, he has scored 11 goals. He has also been playing well for his nation, as evidenced by their recent CONMEBOL qualifying victories against Peru and Paraguay.
Harry Kane, the captain of England, Kylian Mbappe of PSG, and Erling Haaland of Manchester City are all contenders for the coveted prize.