Koulibaly 🗣️: “ I will never forget that day. In the tunnel before the match, I shyly asked Leo if we could swap shirts later. He smiled gently and said ‘OK’.”
“But after the final whistle, the pitch was so crowded, and Leo quickly went inside. I went back to our dressing room feeling a bit sad, thinking: ‘He is a massive superstar, he probably just forgot about me’.”
“Suddenly, the door to our dressing room opened, and everyone went completely quiet. It was Messi. He walked straight up to me, handed me his shirt, gave me a warm hug, Then he smiled and walked away.”
“The greatest player in the world came all the way to our dressing room just to keep a simple promise to me. That is pure class.”
🚨Cristiano Ronaldo responds to people telling Roberto Martínez to sub him off after Portugal’s shocking 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener:
🗣️ “I’ve heard the noise. I’ve seen people saying I should have been substituted, people saying I shouldn’t be starting, people saying I’m the problem. That’s football. When Portugal wins, we win together. When Portugal doesn’t win, suddenly everybody wants to point at one player. I have lived with that for most of my career, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.
What matters is the team. We didn’t get the result we wanted tonight, and every player on that pitch has to take responsibility for that. Not just me, all of us. I am the captain of this team. My job is not only to score goals. My job is to lead, fight, and help this group stay united when things become difficult.
People are free to have opinions, but opinions do not decide matches. Performances do. I promise you this team will respond. The World Cup is not won in the first game. I have played in enough tournaments to know that. The important thing now is how we react.
I will never stop fighting for Portugal. Not because it is easy, but because representing this country means everything to me. The criticism can continue. The work will continue too.”
{@FabrizioRomano }