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Cristiano Ronaldo believes that Lionel Messi winning the FIFA World Cup with Argentina should not be compared to Portugal's trophies. He claimed that the South American side have won the tournament in the past, and have the foundation to do it again.The Al-Nassr superstar added that he does not compare national trophies because of the past, and highlighted that Portugal had not won anything before its UEFA Euro win in 2016. He wants to win the World Cup with the national side, but does not think failing to win it will change anything in his career. He told Piers Morgan:"How many World Cups wins [did] Argentina [have] before Messi? How many? I don't know. Two times. I think. Yeah, but it's normal. These countries, they used to win big competitions. Brazil, if they win the World Cup, they will surprise the world. No, if the Portugal win the World Cup, which is possible, they will shock the world. Yes. But in my mind, I don't thinking in that way. Of course you want to win. Yeah. When you compete, you want to win. I'm not I'm honest. For me, I'm not going to change the way I see the things and the way I see the football."Talking about his rivalry with Lionel Messi, he added that the World Cup should not be the defining factor, and added:"To change the history of Portugal [by saying] 'to save Cristiano Ronaldo's career [he] will [need to win] the World Cup'. No this doesn't make sense for me. I won three titles for Portugal. [In] history, before Portugal never won anything. I'm glad. I'm so happy, but it shouldn't define you as a player. If I'm one of the best in the history [decision is based on] winning one competition [World Cup], six games, seven games. You think it's fair? It's not fair."Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal are close to sealing their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having won three and drawn once in their opening four qualifiers. Lionel Messi's Argentina have already secured their place at next summer's tournament.Lionel Messi hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup commentsLionel Messi is not a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo brushing off the FIFA World Cup. Speaking at the America Business Forum in Florida, the Argentine said that it was a special moment, hailing it as the ultimate achievement in his career.He said (via GOAL):“The truth is that explaining the feelings of that moment is difficult. It's hard to put into words what that title meant, on a personal level, on a family level, for my team-mates, and for the country. It was clear how the country celebrated, the need and the desire we had for it to happen again after so much time had passed.”“For me it was special. First, because for a player, winning the World Cup is the ultimate achievement. It's like anyone in their job, any professional reaching the top. There's nothing more after the World Cup. You can't ask for anything more. And on top of that, I had been lucky enough to have achieved everything before. At the club level, at the individual level. We had also won the Copa América with the national team. That was the missing piece. It was like closing out my entire career with that trophy.”Lionel Messi won the FIFA World Cup in 2022, while Cristiano Ronaldo's best finish at the tournament remains the semifinal in 2004.
