"Messi would have 150+ international goals if he was born in Europe" - Fans take cheeky Cristiano Ronaldo dig after Argentine maestro's stunning 5-goal haul
Fans took a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo after Lionel Messi scored all five goals in Argentina's 5-0 hammering of Estonia in an international friendly on June 5. Fans felt that the Argentine maestro would've had a higher goal tally had he played against teams like 110-ranked Estonia regularly.
Messi opened the scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute and never looked back, adding another just at the halfway mark. He then scored thrice in the second half to complete an easy win for La Albiceleste.
Fans took to Twitter to celebrate the Argentine's performance. Some even took a dig at his rival Ronaldo, who plays for Portugal in Europe, where Estonia is from as well.
Here are some of their reactions:
Is this what playing teams like Estonia every international break feels likes? Messi would have 150+ international goals if he was born in Europe.
if south america had countless statpadable nations like europe then Messi would be on 200 Argentine goals https://t.co/rMCMnngfXg
Messi shows us the level of competition in the European Qualifiers. It’s pathetic. He could’ve easily passed 250 goals for his national team if he was born in Europe.
Messi 5 goals hahaha. Imagine this midget played in Europe against Boron and Lithium every year
Lionel Messi when he heard Kylian Mbappe say that football in South America is not as advanced as Europe. https://t.co/F1uUsH1ve4
Ronaldo has 5 goals vs Estonia in his international career and Messi just matched it in ONE game 😭😭 https://t.co/Avoa4fRgNJ
Messi 5 goals against Estonia..... Ronaldo has 50 real international goals in my book
Messi now has 86 international goals in 162 appearances in all competitions. He moved into fourth place on the all-time list, two above Ferenc Puskas and three behind Mokhtar Dahari.
He continued his great form for his nation after they won the Finalissima against Italy 3-0 on June 1, with the former Barcelona maestro assisting two goals. The Finalissima is played between the Copa America and Euro winners.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo impress for their national sides
While Argentina faced Estonia, Portugal faced Switzerland in their UEFA Nations League fixture on June 5. Ronaldo impressed in the match as they won 4-0 on the night.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner created the first goal from a free-kick from just outside the Switzerland box. His deflected low shot was saved by Gregor Kobel before William Carvalho put it in the back of the net.
The Manchester United man then scored in the 35th minute after Portugal broke quickly and then added another in the 39th minute. He could've easily had four goals in the first half itself but missed two rather easy chances. The brace took his tally to a record-extending 117 international goals.
The forward started on the bench in Portugal's 1-1 draw against Spain on June 2. He came on at the hour mark with his side 1-0 down and helped them equalize.
They will next face the Czech Republic on June 9. Portugal currently lead their group on goal difference after the second-placed Czechs drew 2-2 against Spain on June 5.
Nevertheless, it was yet another display of greatness from the legendary duo of Messi and Ronaldo to lead their respective countries to comfortable victories.