Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have reportedly placed Lionel Messi shirts on sale in their club shop after Cristiano Ronaldo joined their rivals Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo completed a stunning move to the Saudi Arabia club on Friday and is expected to earn in the region of £173million per year. The deal comes after Ronaldo ended his relationship with Manchester United by mutual consent in November following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
With no other offers on the table, Ronaldo made the switch to the Middle East club and will link up with his new club in the coming days. His first meeting with new boss Rudi Garcia may prove somewhat awkward after the coach suggested he wanted the club to sign Messi.
The two enduring superstars of world football have had contrasting fortunes in recent months; Ronaldo was dropped from the starting line-up for Portugal’s World Cup knockout matches after falling sharply out of form in contrast to the Argentine star.
Messi’s role in Argentina’s remarkable World Cup final victory over France was arguably the highlight of his career. The Paris Saint-Germain forward broke multiple records in the final on his way to finally getting his hands on the trophy that had previously eluded him during his career.
Images have now circulated of Al-Hilal, who contest the Riyadh derby against Al-Nassr, displaying official shirts in their club shop which have ‘Messi 10’ on the back following the arrival of Ronaldo at their rivals.
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Al-Nassr boss Garcia joked after his side’s win over Al-Khaleej: "First I wanted to bring Messi from Doha." It has been suggested that Ronaldo will hold sway over his new club’s sporting decisions including the appointment of managers and signing of players.
Ronaldo has been criticised in some quarters for choosing to end his career in Saudi Arabia. Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher compared him negatively with Messi, following the Argentine's World Cup win.
"In some ways it's a sad end for him, Carragher told Sky Sports. "Two of the greatest players in Messi and Ronaldo - Ronaldo has finished his career during an interview with Piers Morgan and Messi has won the World Cup. It's not the best way to go out."
