After Lionel Messi’s World Cup triumphs, the massive footballing organization has come under fire for two tweets that appeared to be aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo.
FIFA attempted to poke fun at Cristiano Ronaldo following Lionel Messi’s recent World Cup triumph, before removing the offending post.
Many people believe that Argentina’s newfound status as world champions, led by Messi, has finally settled the long-running dispute over who is the greatest player of all time. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored seven goals during the event, including two in the championship game.
In stark contrast, Ronaldo only scored once during Portugal’s first game of the tournament, a penalty against Ghana. The 37-year-old was recorded leaving the pitch in tears after his country was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morocco.
FIFA created a social media firestorm when they tweeted from their official World Cup account, “Thumbs up if you really loved the #FIFAWorldCup,” along with a photo of Ronaldo with his thumb in the air.
It appears that the organization has a vendetta towards Ronaldo, as this is not the first tweet that might be seen as a dig at the former Manchester United star. “The GOAT debate is settled,” the same account wrote shortly after Messi’s heroics in the final. The grand prize has now been added to the collection. “The legacy is over.”
This has also been removed following a big outcry from Ronaldo’s legion of admirers who slammed the not-so-subtle dig at the Portugal captain.
Ronaldo has yet to release an online update since Argentina’s victory, but it is likely that he is hurting from both Portugal’s failure and his long-term adversary Messi finally winning the prize that has eluded him for so long.
Following his appearance in a viral Louis Vuitton advertisement in which both Messi and Ronaldo were trapped in a game of chess, Ronaldo admitted he would want to “checkmate” the Argentine ahead of the tournament’s commencement.
“To be honest, I’d like to be the one to give him (Messi) a checkmate,” Ronaldo admitted ahead of Portugal’s first match against Ghana.
“Let’s see what happens. It would be lovely. It would take a miracle for it to happen in football as it did in chess (picture).”
Things did not go as planned for Ronaldo, and the overwhelming assumption today is that he will always be second fiddle to PSG superstar Lionel Messi.
While Ronaldo may finally accept that truth, as he reaches the final chapter of his spectacular career, he could do without being the brunt of jokes made by a footballing powerhouse like FIFA.