Brazil national team legend Ronaldo has admitted that he “will be happy” if Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi wins the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although he does not share these same feelings for Argentina overall.
Messi is one match away from appearing in the World Cup final for the second time in his career, but Croatia stands in the way of him accomplishing this feat. Argentina and Croatia are set to meet in the World Cup semifinal round on Tuesday.
Ronaldo would be pleased to see Messi win the World Cup for the first time in his career, but for the former striker, it would sting to see Argentina celebrate its third win in the sport’s biggest tournament.
“I cannot answer for the whole of Brazil,” Ronaldo said during a press conference on Monday. “I can answer for me. And I am not that sure. Yeah, of course, I will be happy for him (Messi).
“But, you know, we have a great rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. So, I will not be that much of a hypocrite to say I will be happy for Argentina, it’s not true. But, of course, I see football as a romantic.”
Messi heads into Tuesday’s clash against Croatia with six goal contributions recorded at the 2022 World Cup.
