Cristiano Ronaldo put their famous rivalry aside to send Lionel Messi a respectful message after the Argentina legend officially brought his international career to an end.
Cristiano Ronaldo sends emotional message to Messi after Argentina farewell
Cristiano Ronaldo has sent Lionel Messi an emotional message after the Argentina legend officially ended his international career.
Messi brought his 21-year journey with Argentina to an end following the 3-0 victory over Benin at the Monumental.
One day later, he published a long farewell message on Instagram reflecting on his time with the national team.
Among the thousands of reactions was one from his greatest football rival.
Ronaldo personally responded to Messi’s farewell post with a message of respect for everything he achieved with Argentina.
Ronaldo sends direct message to Messi
Ronaldo appeared in the comments under Messi’s farewell post and praised the Argentina legend’s international career.
The Portugal captain highlighted the many years Messi spent representing his country and the legacy he created.
Ronaldo wrote that Messi had built a story with Argentina that would be remembered forever.
He then made his feelings clear by expressing his full respect for what Messi achieved with the national team.
Ronaldo ended the message with a warm personal sign-off.
Ronaldo puts famous rivalry aside
The message immediately attracted attention because of the history between the two players.
For more than a decade, Ronaldo and Messi competed for almost every major individual award in football.
Their rivalry became especially intense during their years with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But Ronaldo’s farewell message contained no mention of Ballon d’Or awards, records or the long-running debate over who was the better player.
Instead, it focused entirely on respect.
Messi had just published emotional goodbye
Ronaldo’s message came after Messi posted his own emotional farewell to Argentina.
Messi admitted that he already missed wearing the famous blue and white shirt.
He thanked his family, teammates, coaches and supporters for being part of the journey.
Messi also made clear that leaving the national team was extremely difficult, even though he believed the time had come to say goodbye.
Messi ends Argentina career in style
The farewell match against Benin gave Messi one final chance to perform in front of Argentina supporters.
He made the most of it.
Argentina won 3-0, with Messi directly involved in all three goals.
He provided two assists before scoring from the penalty spot.
It was a fitting final performance from a player who had carried the national team for more than two decades.
One final night at the Monumental
The entire evening was built around Messi’s farewell.
More than 80,000 supporters filled the Monumental.
The match was stopped in the 10th minute so fans could stand and applaud Argentina’s legendary No.10.
Messi later became emotional as he addressed supporters after the final whistle.
The farewell was one of the biggest celebrations of an individual player in Argentina’s modern football history.
Ronaldo’s message is confirmed
The new message is particularly important because false Ronaldo quotes about Messi had circulated online before.
Earlier reports linked Ronaldo to a message about Messi’s retirement that could not be verified.
This time, however, the situation is different.
Ronaldo’s message appeared directly under Messi’s official farewell post and was reported by major international sources.
That removes much of the uncertainty around whether the Portugal star had actually contacted his old rival.
Ronaldo’s own Portugal future remains uncertain
The timing also made the message more interesting.
Ronaldo is currently dealing with his own difficult situation at international level.
He recently explained why he left Portugal’s camp and accused head coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word twice.
Ronaldo also admitted two mistakes of his own and said he was ready to accept any punishment from the Portuguese Football Federation.
However, he has not retired from Portugal and has made clear that he still wants to return and compete for the national team.
Two legends at very different moments
Messi has now closed the international chapter of his career.
Ronaldo’s story with Portugal, meanwhile, remains unfinished.
That contrast made his message even more meaningful.
One legend was saying goodbye to his country, while the other was still fighting to continue with his own.
Respect after years of rivalry
Messi and Ronaldo will always be linked because of their extraordinary rivalry.
They pushed each other to historic levels and dominated world football for more than a decade.
But their relationship has increasingly been defined by mutual respect in recent years.
Ronaldo’s message after Messi’s Argentina farewell was another example of that respect.
A simple message with huge meaning
Ronaldo did not need a long statement.
His short comment carried more weight because of everything the two players have shared from opposite sides of football’s biggest rivalry.
Messi had just ended one of the greatest international careers in history.
And Ronaldo was there to acknowledge it.
After years of comparisons, records and competition, one legend simply showed respect to another.
