Ferrari boss details one key similarity Lewis Hamilton shares with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Ferrari boss John Elkann has hailed Lewis Hamilton, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for their longevity. While Hamilton holds a slew of records in F1 and is still going strong, Messi and Ronaldo are doing so in football.
Having fist emerged on the scene in the early 2000s, Messi and Ronaldo continue to rule the roost, having scored over 800 goals for club and country during their illustrious careers.
Meanwhile, Hamilton - who is set to drive for Ferrari in 2025 - is a joint-record seven-time world champion and has the most victories (103), poles (103) and podium finishes (183). Having ended his near two-year win drought by winning at the British GP, Hamilton is set to race for the Prancing Horses next season.
In an interaction with Gazzetta dello Sport (via F1oversteer), Elkaan compared Hamilton's longevity with legends across sports like Messi, Ronaldo, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic:
“He certainly doesn’t come to Ferrari to enjoy his retirement, he wants to play it out. After all, just look at the greats of the last decade: Djokovic, Federer, Hamilton, Ronaldo, Messi, what do they have in common? Longevity.”
It's pertinent to note that Hamilton's 945-day gap between his Silverstone win and his previous one in 2022 (Saudi Arabian GP) is the longest in F1 history.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is into his first full season in MLS with Inter Miami, while Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for his second in Saudi Arabian football with Al-Nassr.
What's next for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi endured underwhelming personal outings at their last international tournaments. While Ronaldo drew blanks - a first in 11 major-tournament appearances - in five games for Portugal at Euro 2024, Messi scored once in five games for Argentina at 2024 Copa America.
However, while Ronaldo's Portugal crashed out in the quarter-final following a 5-3 shootout loss to France after 120 goalless minutes, Messi's Argentina retained their Copa title with a 1-0 extra-time win over Colombia.
Lionel Messi came off injured midway through the second half of the game - where Lautaro Martinez scored a 112nd-minute winner - and has missed his last four games across competitions for the Herons.
In Messi's absence since the Copa, the Herons have won eight of 10 games, losing twice. Miami next play the Leagues Cup Round of 16 against an as yet undecided opponent on Sunday (August 11), but Messi's availability is uncertain.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo is set to make his season debut for Al-Nassr in their Saudi Super Cup semi-final with Al-Taawoun on August 14.