“Thala for a reason” - FIFA World Cup’s official handle makes hilarious Cristiano Ronaldo and MS Dhoni comparison
The FIFA World Cup's official Instagram handle has drawn a hilarious comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni in their latest post. Ronaldo is gearing up for Euro 2024 with Portugal, whose campaign commences with a group match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night (June 18).
Before the game, the FIFA World Cup's Instagram team posted an image of the 39-year-old striker in a Portugal shirt and wrote in the caption:
"Thala for a reason 7"
Unlike Ronaldo, MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket but still represents the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. It was while playing for the aforementioned franchise that the right-handed batter earned his nickname 'Thala'.
He also served as the captain of the Indian national cricket team, playing 90 Test matches and 350 One Day Internationals for his country. Dhoni led India to the T20 World Cup in 2007 and helped his team lift the 2011 50-over World Cup.
Even now, the 42-year-old from Ranchi is considered among the best finishers of the modern game. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is still going strong at the international level.
He comes into this European Championships on the back of a stellar club season with Al-Nassr. The former Manchester United striker scored 44 goals across competitions for the Riyadh-based side.
Ronaldo has already won this tournament with Portugal in 2016 when they beat France 1-0 in the final. To date, he's played 207 matches for his country, bagging 130 goals.
When MS Dhoni's former India teammate Virat Kohli called Cristiano Ronaldo the 'sporting GOAT'
Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to getting love from the world of cricket. One of the best players in the world today and MS Dhoni's ex-teammate, Virat Kohli, has on several occasions showered praise on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
He did so yet again while taking part in a rapid-fire question round in February this year. When asked to name his 'sporting GOAT', the former India captain responded:
"For me its Cristiano Ronaldo. Sporting GOAT, I'm saying. Not in different disciplines. What he's doing at his age, even now, is inhumane. He's playing every three, four days, and he's still doing what he's doing. It's pretty amazing."
Ronaldo has already achieved a fair bit in his career. He's won the UEFA Champions League on five occasions while having lifted the Premier League trophy thrice. The ex-Real Madrid man is also a two-time La Liga and Serie A champion.