Make no mistake about it; Cristiano Ronaldo, now of Al-Nassr and Inter Miami megastar Lionel Messi are two of the greatest footballers to ever grace the turf, with them endearing themselves to a worldwide collection of fans who enjoy the thrills and spills of the beautiful game.
The pair shared the European stage for nearly two decades as they forever tussled for the biggest individual prize up for grabs, the Ballon d’Or, but the true beauty of their rivalry was their competitive nature. And that, of course, sometimes trickles into how they act on the pitch.
Their respective teammates, of course, have marvelled at their talent over the years and have had the pleasure of linking up with the aforementioned duo, thus making their lives that little bit easier – but what is it like from a referee’s perspective?
Said Martinez, a 33-year-old referee from Honduras, has been given the job of officiating both during his officiating career – and in recent times, has revealed the comparisons between the two in terms of how they speak to referees.
Martinez Talks About Ronaldo’s Temperament
Ronaldo: ‘We don’t bring you here to be the stars, we are the stars’
Madeira-born Ronaldo made waves within the football echo chamber when he opted to move to the Saudi Pro League in 2023, as he became the trailblazer for all manner of talent to make the same move, one that was criticised by many pundits and former professionals.
Speaking to Mexican outlet Mediotiempo, Martinez revealed that the Portuguese sensation, regarded as one of the best football players of all time, was a ‘very difficult’ character to keep under wraps, largely attributed to his unforgiving temperament. As translated by MailOnline, Martinez stated:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is very difficult due to his temperament. He is a very competitive person, which makes him feel there’s a lot of injustice towards him, so he complains a lot. We disallowed two goals for him, with VAR and everything, but there was a play that upset him because he felt he was fouled in attack, leading to a goal against them. They were losing.”
“He stayed 10 metres away from me and said: ‘It’s always the same with you lot, you always think you’re the stars, but we don’t bring you here to be the stars, we are the stars.’ He started calmly but then got agitated and I just looked at him provocatively to see if he would get closer to me, but he didn’t.”
Echoing comments from former Real Madrid and Italy centre forward Antonio Cassano, who claimed that Ronaldo is – in his opinion, at least – not even in the top five footballers of all time, Martinez has suggested that the 39-year-old doesn’t take criticism too kindly.
Martinez did reveal that Ronaldo, after the final whistle, approached him in order to apologise for his on-pitch behaviour. That doesn’t cloud over the fact that he allows his in-game passion to get the better of him, thus adding to his Marmite-like persona.
Ronaldo vs Messi – Club Career Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics | Ronaldo | Messi |
Teams | Real Madrid, Man Utd, Juventus, Al-Nassr, Sporting CP | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami |
Games | 1022 | 910 |
Goals | 767 | 740 |
Assists | 241 | 356 |
Yellow Cards | 127 | 89 |
Red Cards | 12 | 2 |
Messi is Much Calmer On the Pitch
Martinez: ‘ When he complains about something, he is usually calm’
Interestingly, Martinez has also had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with Messi during an Inter Miami clash in the 2023 Leagues Cup. In contrast to his interaction with Ronaldo, Martinez had only kind words to say about the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
With the 22 players and on-pitch officials engulfed by the crowd chanting the Argentine’s name, Martinez suggested that Messi is well-mannered and considerate in his approach when contesting decisions with much less emotion spilling out.
Speaking on Rely Maradiaga’s YouTube channel, Martinez suggested that Messi, who remains one of the best free-kick takers in world football, prefers to indulge in debates with a calm and composed nature: “He doesn’t get angry easily. When he complains about something, he is usually calm.”
“I saw the most humble gesture of Messi that day. The whole stadium was chanting his name and he came to shake hands with four Honduran referees. The stadium was chanting ‘Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi’, and he went to shake our hands and congratulated us and gave us a pat on the back and said what a good game and what a good job. That kind of thing is worth more than anything else.”
He also revealed that Messi took the time to sign a special memento for the man in the middle, which he is saving for his daughter. Asking the ex-Barcelona ace to scribble his iconic signature FIFA card, which he had when officiating the Gold Cup final between Mexico and Panama, Martinez praised the forward for his down-to-earth nature.
“As you can see on the card, it says: ‘For Siham Martínez, with love, Leo Messi’. This is Messi’s original signature; this is the precious object I have from him. It’s Messi’s handwriting. He took the time to write it. These details are worth more than gold; it’s an invaluable memory.”
All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 15/10/24