Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup European ChampionshipGetty/GOAL
Chris Burton

'Lionel Messi living rent free in his head' - Cristiano Ronaldo mocked for saying Portugal Euros triumph is 'equivalent to winning a World Cup'

Cristiano Ronaldo has been told Lionel Messi is “living rent free in his head” after claiming that his Euros win is equivalent to a World Cup triumph.

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  • Portugal savoured continental glory in 2016
  • Argentina landed global crown at Qatar 2022
  • Supporters react to bold trophy claim from CR7

  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The five-time Ballon d’Or winner formed part of a Portugal squad that upset the odds to land a continental crown back in 2016. Ronaldo left the final of that competition in tears after picking up an injury, but helped to drag his team-mates over the line when taking on a coaching role alongside manager Fernando Santos.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Ronaldo lifted the European Championship trophy as captain of his country, and has gone on to savour UEFA Nations League glory. Eternal rival Messi did, however, inspire Argentina to World Cup immortality in 2022 – allowing him to win an eighth Golden Ball.

  • WHAT RONALDO SAID

    Ronaldo has now suggested that his achievements match anything that Messi has done, telling RTP3 after registering the 900th competitive goal of his remarkable career in a Nations League win over Croatia and being quizzed on whether the lack of a global title on his stunning CV is the cause of some frustration: "Portugal winning the Euros is the equivalent of winning the World Cup. I've already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted, so I'm not motivated by that [World Cup]."

  • Lionel Messi World Cup trophy Argentina 2022Getty

    WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

    CR7 has been mocked on social media for his comments, with @freeeaos one of those to go with the “Messi living rent free in his head” theme. @Barzaboy added “I'm 100% sure he didn't sleep the night Messi won the World Cup” while @CFC_OBED said “Winning Euros isn’t anything like World Cup my friend”. With Ronaldo accused of making himself look foolish, @EbukaMeansGreat said “Why does he keep embarrassing himself??” and @sol_promise accused the Portuguese of making a “clown statement”.

  • WHAT NEXT?

    Kylian Mbappe has previously echoed Ronaldo’s sentiments, saying: “For me, [the Euros are] more complicated than a World Cup. Even though there's more pressure at the World Cup, we know all the teams in the Euros, and it's tactically similar.” The latest ‘Galactico’ to have joined Real Madrid does, however, have a World Cup win to his name from 2018 and is better placed to make such sweeping statements.