Want to learn more timely sports news and live broadcasts & prevent losing our links? Welcome click here to join our Telegram channel
Recently, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards co-hosted the show The Rest is Football, during which Lineker shared an anecdote about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Richards: Do you like his celebration?
Lineker: That "Siu"?
Richards: Do you like it?
Lineker: Yes, because he gets the crowd involved, and he still does it now—it's so classic. Look at his physique, man.
Richards: He's in great shape. If you had a body like that, you'd take your shirt off more often too.
Alan Shearer: So how did he transform? You talked about him initially at Manchester United as a winger. But when did the shift happen to score so many goals?
Lineker: Well, I think the game has changed a bit too, from, you know, two strikers, two wide midfielders, and two central midfielders—the 4-4-2 formation, if you will. And I know sometimes people play different systems, but then suddenly it became this 4-3-3, which means the two wide players are more like center forwards than wingers. So I think that suited Cristiano perfectly first and foremost. Suddenly, he got a lot more scoring opportunities. He might have started doing this later at Manchester United, but more specifically at Real Madrid. To do this, he could make numerous runs into the box because Karim Benzema, as the number 9, was very intelligent, dropping deep and making sacrifices, as his statistics prove—Benzema. So I think he could do this much better.
Then, of course, as he got older, he transformed himself more into a number 9. But this shows how smart he is and what an incredible footballing mind he has. First, he could be a genuine winger, then a left-wing forward, then a number 9, a penalty box player. His movement inside the box is still as good as anyone's to this day. Obviously, he can't run all over the pitch anymore—he's in his 40s now, and his physical abilities are declining. But if you still watch him play, when someone goes wide to cross, the way he distracts defenders and then gambles on a position to make a run into the box is still an absolutely brilliant textbook example for any young player. So I think he gradually adapted, but it also shows his intelligence, his incredible footballing mind, and those obvious things in his attitude and immense self-confidence. I don't think any of us would question that—he absolutely believes he's the greatest player of all time and so on, and he tries to prove it; he's very vocal about it. Messi is more introverted, shyer, less outgoing. So I think these two competing against each other, vying for the Ballon d'Or, championships, La Liga titles, European Championships, and World Cups. But you can tell that both of them, despite their different personalities, share one common trait—they are both extremely competitive.
Alan Shearer: Yes, yes, yes, without a doubt. Yes, but you have to reach that level—the level that both of them have achieved. It's extraordinary, absolutely outstanding.
Richards: But the reason I'm asking is, do you have to adapt? As you get older, but your movement never deteriorates? Can we say that?
Alan Shearer: Movement does deteriorate, without a doubt, because you get slower. You want to get there, thinking, "Five years ago, I could have reached that." But to some extent, you never lose that sense of where the ball will drop or how it will bounce inside the box—you never lose that. But you do lose your burst of speed. Ronaldo wasn't that prolific when he first went to Manchester United. He played well, but he made himself prolific, which is interesting.
Lineker: That fascinates me. How long do you think he can keep playing? I mean, he's in his 40s now, at Al Nassr. You can tell he's obviously not the same as before, and Messi isn't the same as he was at Barcelona either, but they're still doing good things. Although it's in leagues that are obviously not as competitive as the ones they used to play in. But the World Cup is approaching. In the past two major tournaments, there has always been some controversy. It has become a bit about him personally rather than the team, which I think could be difficult for head coach Roberto Martínez…
Alan Shearer: I spoke to Roberto about this, and I asked him about Ronaldo... He said, yes, he said Ronaldo would accept coming on as a substitute.
Richards: We'll see. We'll see what happens, because that's interesting—he's never been that kind of person, has he?
Lineker: Portugal is a good team; they have a chance at the World Cup. But he doesn't like me very much, Cristiano.
Alan Shearer: Why not? Did you upset him?
Lineker: I did upset him, yes, but not because I said anything bad about him. I just honestly think that overall, Messi is a better footballer. Then he, you know, so he…
Alan Shearer: What, he doesn't like you because of that?
Lineker: Yes, he unfollowed me on Instagram. I'll get over it, though.
Alan Shearer: But he doesn't manage that account himself.
Lineker: No, he does. Can you send him a message for me? Put in a good word, will you? I mean, I've always liked him. I've met him many times. I know he's annoyed with me, but it's okay. That's it, please—let's be friends again.
