Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have time for Lionel Messi questions. And he made that very clear after Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in the World Cup.
Ronaldo scored twice in that game. He looked sharp, Portugal looked dominant, and the vibe should have been all about the win. But a reporter decided to bring up Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria from a few days earlier. That didn’t go over well.
According to footage posted by Instant Foot on X, the journalist started asking about Messi’s three-goal performance. Ronaldo cut him off before the question even landed.
“I couldn’t care less about the others,” Ronaldo said. “Kylian Mbappé also scored a goal.” Then he walked out of the mixed zone. That was it.
Look, this isn’t new territory. The Ronaldo-Messi debate has been running for over a decade, and it’s not going anywhere. Most people have made up their minds, and a lot of them think Messi is the better player all-time. But Ronaldo clearly still feels the need to draw a line when the subject comes up. Bringing Mbappe into it was an interesting move too — almost like saying there are other stars worth talking about besides Messi.
Portugal’s World Cup Path
Ronaldo and Portugal are sitting on four points in Group K, tied with a few others but trailing Colombia who have six. That Saturday matchup against Colombia is huge. Win and Portugal likely top the group. Lose and things get complicated fast.
Portugal hasn’t won a World Cup since 1962. Messi’s Argentina are defending champs and looking to go back-to-back. So there’s extra weight on Ronaldo here, especially since this is probably his last World Cup at 39 years old. Every game matters. Every goal matters. And maybe every question about Messi just feels like noise.
Ronaldo’s reaction will get people talking online. It always does. But honestly, the guy just scored twice in a World Cup game and wanted to talk about that, not about what someone else did on a different night. Hard to blame him for that.
Portugal and Colombia kick off Saturday. If Ronaldo scores again, expect more headlines. Just don’t expect him to answer any Messi questions afterward.
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