‘All my respect for what you achieved with Argentina’: Ronaldo pays tribute to Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly paid tribute to long time rival Lionel Messi, commenting on the Argentine’s Instagram post marking the end of his international career following Wednesday’s farewell match against Benin at the Estadio Monumental.
“Leo, so many years defending your country and a history that will last forever. All my respect for what you have achieved with Argentina. A hug,” Ronaldo wrote, a message that reportedly reached 400,000 likes within half an hour of being posted.
Messi provided a fitting send off for himself in Buenos Aires, scoring once and setting up two further goals in a 3-0 win over Benin, having earlier described the occasion as the saddest day of his career despite the celebratory atmosphere around him.
The farewell brought down the curtain on an international career spanning more than two decades, during which Messi made a record 208 appearances for Argentina, scoring 126 goals and captaining the side to World Cup glory in 2022 alongside multiple Copa America titles.
He had confirmed his international retirement in late August, shortly after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain, citing both the physical toll of the tournament and the recent illness and subsequent death of his father, Jorge Messi, as factors behind the decision.
Ronaldo’s gesture continues a pattern of mutual respect that has quietly persisted beneath two decades of intense on pitch rivalry, including a message of support he sent Messi earlier this year following the death of his father.
The tribute arrives at a notably different moment for Ronaldo himself, whose own Portugal future remains uncertain after a reported clash with head coach Jorge Jesus left him on the sidelines before he withdrew from the national team’s training camp altogether.
Where Messi has closed his international chapter on his own terms, surrounded by tributes and a guard of honour, Ronaldo’s path through the later stages of his own international career looks considerably less settled by comparison.
Both men continue playing at club level regardless, Messi with Inter Miami and Ronaldo with Al Nassr, their rivalry having long since evolved into something closer to mutual recognition between two players who defined an entire era of the sport.