"Want to experience that again", "Great to play there" - When Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo named stadium with best atmosphere
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the best to have ever played the game of football, have in the past named Celtic Park as the stadium with the best atmosphere. Often called the Paradise, Celtic Park is located in Glasgow, Scotland.
Cristiano Ronaldo notably played at Celtic Park twice in his career, both of which were UEFA Champions League group stage games during his first stint at Manchester United (2003-2009). The Portuguese legend's first game at the stadium was in November 2006, when the Red Devils lost 1-0 to the home team. Ronaldo has never scored against Celtic.
As per a 2015 article on Celtic's website, the legendary forward spoke highly about the atmosphere at Celtic Park, saying:
"The Celtic fans are incredible. It is always great to play there."
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, who has visited Celtic Park three times in his career, concurred with his archrival about the venue's atmosphere. Messi has faced Celtic six times, all of which were UEFA Champions League games during his time at Barcelona (2004-2021). La Pulga has scored against the Bhoys on eight occasions.
According to the aforementioned article via Celtic's website, Messi raved about Celtic Park, saying:
"The games against Celtic were special and I want to remember them. Celtic Park is a tough place to go to. It’s never easy to get a result there... It is the best atmosphere in Europe and we all want to experience that again."
Celtic Park is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of 60,832. It was established in 1888.
When Piers Morgan claimed Cristiano Ronaldo could move to Celtic to stop Lionel Messi from breaking his UCL records
In an interview with talkSPORT in 2022, British journalist Piers Morgan claimed Cristiano Ronaldo could have considered moving to Celtic or Rangers instead of Al-Nassr.
Morgan's comments came after Ronaldo's contract with Manchester United was terminated in 2022, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. The Portuguese legend eventually joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
"If the Scottish Premiership had the money that the Saudis do, would you have the same opinion if Ronaldo went to play there? Ronaldo would have gone anywhere that had Champions League football... He has most of the records in the Champions League and he wants to extend them, probably so that Messi can’t catch him and that he ends up as the GOAT of Champions League football," Morgan said (via GiveMeSport).
Cristiano Ronaldo is often considered the greatest UEFA Champions League player of all time. He holds five UCL titles, one more than Lionel Messi's four titles. Ronaldo is also the highest goalscorer in the tournament's history with 140 to this name. He is followed by Lionel Messi with 129 goals.