Don't compare Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo anymore, says Mario Balotelli

Aditya Devavrat 12:46 02/05/2019
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  • Lionel Messi added to his collection of great goals.

    Italian forward Mario Balotelli has reacted to Lionel Messi‘s stunning free-kick in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final clash against Liverpool by saying the Barcelona talisman should never be subjected to comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo again.

    Messi and Ronaldo have formed one of football’s most intense and enduring rivalries, and there was hope that the two could face off in this year’s final after trading starring performances in earlier rounds.

    Ronaldo’s hat-trick brought Juventus back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16, as they won 3-0 at home. A day later, Messi scored twice and assisted two more as Barcelona turned a tense second leg against Lyon into a 5-1 rout having drawn away from home.

    The draw for the rest of the competition saw the two kept on opposite sides, meaning they could only meet if their teams made it to the final.

    In the quarter-finals, Ronaldo scored against Ajax in the first leg to seemingly give Juve the advantage after a 1-1 draw, while Messi picked up an assist in Barcelona’s 1-0 first-leg win at Manchester United.

    He followed that performance up by scoring twice in the second leg, and when Ronaldo gave Juve the lead in Turin the script for a titanic clash in the final seemed set. But Ajax stunned the Serie A club, scoring twice to complete the comeback and knock Juventus out of the competition.

    That meant the Portugal star was left to sit at home to watch Messi’s latest show of brilliance, as Liverpool were blown away despite dominating for large spells of the game.

    The Argentine scored Barcelona’s second of the night tapping in the rebound after Luis Suarez, who had opened the scoring earlier, saw a shot cannon off the crossbar but fall straight to Messi’s feet.

    That set the stage for his free-kick, giving Barca a 3-0 lead that leaves Liverpool with a mountain to climb in the second leg next Tuesday.

    And Marseille forward Balotelli believes that goal has ended the Messi vs Ronaldo debate.

    “For the love of football please do not compare him to the No.7 of Juventus anymore!” Balotelli said in a post to his Instagram Stories.

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