Cristiano Ronaldo’s One-Word Response to Lionel Messi Question Says Everything

Ronaldo sent a firm message to his critics which inspired a confused response from Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) was predictably asked about Lionel Messi. | Jose Hernandez/Anadolu/Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo flatly refused to answer a question about Lionel Messi after Portugal’s victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday, cutting off the reporter with a shout of “vale”—go on—as soon as the Argentine’s name was uttered to request a new line of inquiry from a different journalist.

Shortly following the final whistle of Portugal’s World Cup opener against DR Congo, a frustrating 1–1 draw which saw Ronaldo toil away without success for 90 minutes, the scoreless skipper stormed straight down the tunnel. He would later reemerge for some curt media duties.

Ronaldo was unsurprisingly more willing to talk on Tuesday, buoyed by a record-breaking two-goal display in a 5–0 thumping, but he would not be drawn into any sort of comparison with his greatest rival.

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“Yesterday,” one reporter began in the postgame mixed zone, “Lionel Messi scored two goals, [Kylian] Mbappé...” at that point, Ronaldo span his head to the other opposite side of the scrum of media and repeated: “Vale”—“Go on”—to get another question quickly asked.

Messi, as the journalist was reminding Ronaldo, has enjoyed a stunning start to the defense of Argentina’s World Cup title, following up an opening-game hat-trick with a brace against Austria to become the competition’s all-time record goalscorer. While Ronaldo can lay claim to a goal in six different World Cups (Messi failed to find the net in 2010) his haul of 10 tournament strikes pales in comparison to his rival’s high watermark of 18.

It has been a question of Messi vs. Ronaldo for the past two decades. The two greatest talents of their generation rose to prominence just as the social media age began, with both factors ultimately turning the team sport into a battle of individuals. Each player has admitted that competing directly against the other pushed them to new heights, but Ronaldo was in no mood to make the same observation on this occasion.

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Ronaldo Is ‘Back’ After ‘Dark Week’

Once the game was over, the camera operator made a typical beeline for Ronaldo. Portugal’s captain turned to the lens and shouted (in English): “I’m back!” He repeated it for added impetus.

Zlatan Ibrahimović questioned why Ronaldo felt compelled to make that statement. “I thought he never left,” the retired striker mused on Fox Sports. “I don’t know why he says, ‘I’m back.’”

Ronaldo was asked the same thing, explaining that it was “only so they [his critics] don’t forget—23 years [doing so] like this.”

“I’m very happy but the most important thing is the work the team did and the confidence it gives us,” the 41-year-old added, reflecting on the backlash he had faced in the aftermath of a goalless showing against DR Congo. “Obviously personal records are always nice but my goal is always to help the team achieve its objectives.

“We had to get through many obstacles during the week but the team worked very well, we improved a lot. It’s been a difficult week, a dark week without kicking a ball, but we dealt with it as we always do because we believe in our work. It was difficult, but we’re back.”

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