“I would like him to come to Italy one day. Like me, accept the challenge….RONALDO
Former Real Madrid Star and Portuguese Captain, Cristiano Ronaldo has challenged his longtime rival, Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona and sign for a club in Italy.
CR7 who joined the Seria A giant during the summer transfer window, has bagged 11 goals from 19 games this season for Juventus.
His impressive start to life at Serie A bolsters his footballing career, which also includes a successful stay at Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon as well as nine seasons at Madrid.
However, in the eyes of viewers, Ronaldo and Messi have always battled with each other on an individual level over the last decade to be regarded as the sport’s best player.
Very little split the two players with both having won the Ballon d’Or fives times each, Ronaldo winning it first in 2008 before Messi claimed his first trophy a year later in 2009.
When asked by Gazetta Dello Sport if he misses the direct competition with Messi in La Liga, Ronaldo responded: “No, maybe he misses me! I played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, in the national team, while he is still in Spain. Maybe he needs me more.
“For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make people happy.
“I would like him to come to Italy one day. Like me, accept the challenge.
“However, if he is happy there, I respect him.
“He is a fantastic player, a good guy but I do not miss anything here. This is my new life and I’m happy.”
