🚨 Mourinho on Ronaldo’s rivalry with Messi and how he fought back to make it 5-5 in the Ballon d’Or race:
“People look at Messi’s 8 Ballon d’ors and Cristiano’s 5 today, and they forget what happened between 2008 and 2017.
I have enormous respect for Messi. Fantastic footballer. But I also have enormous respect for the man who refused to let Messi have the whole stage to himself.
Cristiano won his first Ballon d’Or at Manchester United in 2008. Then Messi won in 2009. And 2010. And 2011. And 2012.
4 consecutive years.
Do you understand what that does to a footballer? You’re scoring goals, winning matches, working every day, and every December you’re watching the same man collect the award.
For most players, after the 3rd or 4th time, they accept it. They say, ‘Okay, he’s the best. Maybe I can be second.’
Not Cristiano.
I remember being at Madrid and seeing how personally he took these things. You could congratulate him for scoring twice, and sometimes he’d be more interested in the chance he missed.
I’d tell him, ‘Cristiano, we won.’
He’d say, ‘Mister, I know. But I could have scored another.’
That’s the mentality you’re dealing with.
When Messi was winning those awards, Cristiano wasn’t sitting there wondering how to become more popular. He was asking himself how to become more dangerous.
And look at what happened.
2013, Cristiano wins. 2014, Cristiano wins again.
Messi comes back in 2015. Now it’s five against three.
People start talking as if the competition is finished.
Then Cristiano wins the Champions League and the European Championship in 2016. Another Ballon d’Or.
Four against five.
In 2017, Madrid win La Liga and another Champions League. Cristiano scores twice against Bayern in Munich, then three in Madrid. Three against Atletico in the semi-final. Two against Juventus in the final.
These weren’t goals against teams who had already given up. These were the biggest matches of the season.
And in December, he’s holding his fifth Ballon d’Or.
Five against five.
I want people to understand something. Messi didn’t suddenly become a worse footballer. Cristiano simply refused to stop chasing him.
That’s why I laugh when people speak about Cristiano’s obsession with being the best as if it’s a weakness.
Of course he’s obsessed. How do you think he got there?
And then you have 2018.
Cristiano helps Madrid win a 3rd consecutive Champions League. He leaves for Juventus. Luka Modric wins the Ballon d’Or, and Cristiano finishes 2nd.
I respect Luka. Wonderful footballer. But you cannot tell me Cristiano had no argument for winning his 6th.
People can debate the voting, the importance of the World Cup, the influence of changing clubs. That’s football. But imagine being Cristiano, looking at everything you’ve done, and believing you could have gone ahead for the first time.
Of course that stays with you.
And I think even Messi supporters, the ones who genuinely love football, understand what Cristiano brought to that rivalry.
Messi had somebody who could answer him.
When Messi did something extraordinary, there was another man capable of doing something extraordinary the following week.
People who didn’t even support Barcelona or Madrid were watching. They were arguing about goals, trophies, records. Some people became football supporters because they wanted to see which one would win.
That’s what Cristiano gave the game.
You can prefer Messi. You can believe Messi is the greatest player you’ve ever seen. I have no problem with that.
But don’t tell me Cristiano was simply fortunate to exist in the same era.
He made that era competitive.
For 9 years, from his first Ballon d’Or to his fifth, he kept finding another level whenever people thought he had reached his limit.
And perhaps that’s the greatest compliment you can give Cristiano Ronaldo.
He saw a footballer the world was ready to place above everybody else.
And instead of accepting second place, he made the world argue about first.”
Ezemuo you need to update your vocabulary on X
OS = Olosho
White snow ball - Fufu
Cheese soup - Egusi.
Micheal faraday - Charging vendor
Umbrella Academy= Jehovah Witness
Tony Stark HQ= iron condemn
Ancestor Buffet= Sacrifice
Fortune Site= Sporty, Bet9ja
Floating Berries = Groundnut
Dorathki Rider =Bike Man
Crusted Smoked Protein = Suya
Dr. Strange = Bablawo
Hair Surgeon - Barber
School portal - Porn site.
Night king - Tinubu
Vin Diesel - Uber/Bolt
Vibranium - Metal scrap
Hybrid Zobo - Skoochies
Pharmaceutical socks - Condom
Casterly Rock - Lekki
Underground juice - Fuel
Online Church program - Chudai
Glucose Guardian - Sugar Daddy
Underground juice - Petrol
This guy has been driving his babe to work every day for a while now because it's on the way to his own business.
Last week he asked her to contribute ₦30k for fuel because things are tight.
She said she doesn't have and she just collected her Ajo of ₦500k.
I told him, “No wahala, park the car. Let her take that ride for one week straight.”
Yesterday, she actually took a ride to work and spent ₦14k to get to work.
He actually went to work yesterday with the car, just that he left the house 2 hours later than usual.
She spent ₦14k to prove a point, and he got 2 extra hours of sleep. Some ladies just want to take and take, but don't want to contribute shishi. If ₦30k once in a while is too much, is ₦14k a day better?
Women are not the bread winner anymore? How bread winner wan take suffer if the man die?
.
.
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Women who contribute nothing to the family actually expect you to die young because they know how much pressure and stress you're going through. Interestingly, she just expects you to die so she can collect your money.
No woman who is in love with you and happily building a life with you would be talking about you dying so they can inherit your asset. She would be looking after you and begging you to look after yourself and nit die to leave her alone.
Men, the earlier you realized this fact, the better ooo.
The things you do for a woman, if she were the one in your position, she will never do it.
Don't ever think that the things you do for a woman will make her love you more.
And don't think she will do the same for you if she were to be in the position you are.
"How can you have ₦10M in your account and you cannot change your Girlfriend's phone?"
Lol... a girl with ₦10M in her account will never stoop that low to date a guy who is struggling to change his phone.
You are free to disregard this advice. You will learn firsthand lessons.
This Milan Škriniar guy is always trying to injure Osimhen.
He fractured Osimhen's eye socket in 2021 and tried to catch him with an elbow in that area last season.
When Osimhen reacts, they'll say he's too aggressive and lacks control.