Just days after Lionel Messi’s first World Cup victory, Toni Kroos changed his mind about a “rule” involving his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
On Sunday night, following Argentina’s thrilling 4-2 victory against France in a penalty shootout, the Los Blancos midfielder saw longtime adversary Messi receive the highest honor in international football on behalf of his nation.
Messi contributed significantly to the outcome of the contest by scoring twice and making his spot-kick attempt in the shootout to earn Player of the Match.
Many believe it finally puts an end to the long-running Messi vs. Ronaldo “GOAT” controversy. The World Cup’s top scorer from Portugal, who lost to Morocco 1-0 in the quarterfinals, left the tournament in tears.
After quitting Manchester United midway through the World Cup, Ronaldo is currently without a club.
His career peaked while he was playing alongside Kroos at Real, winning three straight Champions Leagues from 2016 to 2018.
Ronaldo and Kroos were nearby off the field as well. Because of their close proximity, they were neighbors.
Because of this, the legendary German footballer was unable to compete against Ronaldo in the best player ever discussion.
The Mirror reported that he had already acknowledged: “From my playing days, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo” (best player of all time). Of course I’m prejudiced because he was a major reason why we won so many championships.
“Playing with Ronaldo was impressive and exhilarating. In addition to being teammates, we were also neighbors in the locker room and in our homes.
He was a neighbor of mine. It was impressive to observe his obsession with perfection. Because of this, I am not allowed to cite Messi as the greatest player of all time.
The 32-year-old now has a radically different perspective on everything. Kroos, who is no longer a teammate of Ronaldo and has just returned from the weekend’s show at Lusail Stadium, thinks Messi is the world’s greatest player without a doubt.
“He (Messi) deserves it,” he said to MagentaTV. I’ve never seen a football player play as frequently as this one in terms of individual performances in a championship.
You must consider the fact that he has never represented teams that I regard to be very amusing, which demonstrates my sincerity.
Messi initially stated he would stop playing for his country after the World Cup. The star of Paris Saint-Germain later admitted he wants to keep representing his nation as a world champion.
