"I enjoyed seeing him cry" - Sofiane Boufal chooses between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with emphatic claim
Morocco international Sofiane Boufal has said that he enjoyed seeing Cristiano Ronaldo cry at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and expressed his admiration for Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo went into the World Cup in Qatar with high hopes, but the tournament did not go to plan for him. The forward was notably dropped to the bench for Portugal's two knockout games by then-manager Fernando Santos before the team crashed out in the quarter-finals.
Selecao bowed out of the World Cup after succumbing to a shock 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarterfinals. Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the second half but was unable to make a difference and eventually left the pitch in tears.
Morocco were the surprise package of the tournament as they made their way to the semifinals. They beat the likes of Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their dream run but lost to France in the last four.
Boufal, who started every gamefor Morocco at the World Cup, has said that he enjoyed seeing Ronaldo cry after Portugal's loss to Morocco. The Al-Rayyan attacker also said that he prefers Messi over the former Manchester United superstar.
Furthermore, Boufal expressed his desire to play for Barcelona, telling Qatari sports channel Alkass (h/t @ReshadRahman_ on Twitter):
"With all due respect to Ronaldo, I enjoyed seeing him cry more than how we cried. I prefer Messi over Ronaldo and the club I wish to play for is Barcelona."
While Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and Sofiane Boufal's Morocco lost in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, Lionel Messi went on to win the World Cup with Argentina. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar did most of the heavy lifting for La Albiceleste, bagging seven goals and three assists in seven games.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are nearing the end of their careers
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the best players of their generation and arguably two of the greatest of all time. The fact that they have won 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them is a testament to their quality. It's worth noting that no player other than them won the Ballon d'Or between 2007 and 2018.
However, at 35 and 38, respectively, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are nearing the end of their illustrious careers. The latter has already moved away from European football, joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr last December, while Messi's contract with PSG ends in June.