"Me and Messi together? Everything is possible. We would probably sell a lot of jerseys. We've never had dinner together, but I would love to." The eternal comparison with the rival Messi and the last suggestion for the future, comes in the integral version of the interview given by Cristiano Ronaldo to Piers Morgan, some passages of which had previously come out with the controversy against United.
"Messi is an incredible, magical footballer. As people, sharing the same stage for 16 years, we have a great rapport. We're not friends, but he's like a teammate, someone I respect how he talks about me, how his wife talks about mine. I can only say good things about Messi. He is the best player I have seen, along with Zidane."
With the World Cup just around the corner, Ronaldo makes a sensational statement.
"If Portugal wins the World Cup, I don't care who scores. A final with Messi's Argentina? If we win 3-2 and I score the decisive goal, I retire from football from that moment."
Meanwhile, regarding the future, Ronaldo says:
"I want to play another 2-3 years. I want to end it at 40, at the right age. But I don't know, sometimes you make plans, but life changes them".
This is how CR7 approaches the World Cup.
"It will be difficult to play another one. But for this current one I am very optimistic. We have a fantastic coach and great players, I am sure we will have an incredible World Cup. I dreamed of winning it, it will be difficult, but everything is possible. We will try it. We are not the favorites, we have never been and we were not even when we won the European Championship. My favorites are France, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Brazil and England. I think they can win it, just like us."
Regarding the farewell from Manchester United, Ronaldo says:
"Now I only think about Portugal, and about the World Cup, the fifth and last one for me. I don't know what will happen next. I don't know if I will still be at United. Maybe it would be better for both them and me if we started a new chapter. I feel very good, I am convinced that if they would let me, I would score many more goals. It's hard to say I won't be back, let's see. But the fans will always be in my heart."
Surely Ronaldo will not follow the money to go to Arabia.
"The Arabs' offer of 350 million euros was real, but I rejected it. My agent has 100 players, when he meets a team it's not always for me. I had many offers. And I have the highest salary in history. It's not true that nobody wanted me, but I wanted United and the highest levels."
At the center of the controversy remains, above all, the coach of the Red Devils, Ten Hag.
"Many things have happened. I think it was a strategy of the club to push me to the limit as they wanted me to leave. Not only the coach, but also 2-3 high-level managers. I felt betrayed, I realized that there were those who did not like me in Manchester, not only this year, but also last season".
A key episode is that of the request to enter the field in the last three minutes against Tottenham.
"I have regretted leaving earlier, but the coach provoked me. He wanted to put me in for three minutes, I'm not that type of player. In the match against Rayon, there were 9 players who left, but they only mentioned my name. They only talk about the black sheep, about me, about everything is my fault. I did it, apologized and for me it was over. I felt provoked, because everything had happened before. The coach disrespected me. That's why I say I don't respect him, because he doesn't respect me. I don't regret not joining, if you don't respect me, I don't respect you either".
Ronaldo's criticism of United goes even further.
"I'm sorry to leave, but I was disappointed by the club's statement about the 3-day suspension. It was embarrassing, I felt humiliated. I remember when I got home I told the boy that I had been punished and he asked me: 'How is it possible that they punish the best in the world?' I told him because according to them I had behaved badly, and he did not believe me. I'm not perfect, I apologized, but that suspension was too much, it was done only for the press".
Meanwhile, strong statements regarding the owners of the club, the Glazer family.
"The owners don't care about the club, they only see marketing. They take the money and you don't care about the sports side. I have never spoken to them. They give all the power to the president and the sports director. It will be difficult for Manchester United to be at the top in the coming years unless the structure changes."