Sport
Messi Says He and Ronaldo Aren’t Friends but They Respect Each Other
Lionel Messi has opened up about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, making it clear they’re not close friends, but there’s mutual respect between them. Speaking in an interview with DSsports, Messi explained that their rivalry was strictly professional—just two top players giving their all for their teams.
The pair once stood on opposite sides of football’s biggest stage, with Messi shining at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Now, their careers have taken different paths—Ronaldo playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Messi with Inter Miami in the MLS.
“Our rivalry stayed on the pitch,” Messi said. “We never took it personal. Off the field, we’re just two regular guys. We don’t hang out or talk much, but there’s always been respect.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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