The eternal sporting rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has a new chapter thanks to an NBA and Minnesota Timberwolves star. Anthony Edwards sparked controversy after claiming he didn’t know CR7, but that wasn’t all.
However, the debate was reignited when the player showed up wearing a special outfit: under his sweatshirt, he was wearing an wearing Argentina’s Lionel Messi jersey, showing which side he’s on.
Edwards snubs CR7 and chooses the Albiceleste
On Sunday, February 15, Ant-Man arrived at the NBA All-Star Game wearing black pants and a black sweatshirt, but it was clear that underneath he was wearing the new Argentina jersey that Lionel Messi and company will wear to defend their title in the upcoming World Cup.
This should have been a clue to what would happen next. In an interview with @complexsports, Edwards was put to the test and had to choose between himself and other prominent stars from the world of sports in general, not specifically basketball.
He faced stars such as MLB’s Shohei Ohtani, golfer Tiger Woods, and table tennis player Han Ying. However, when it came time to compare himself to Cristiano Ronaldo, he responded:
“Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s that? I can’t f*ck with him! Where does he play?” he responded.
His response generated all kinds of reactions from soccer fans, who claimed that a career as renowned as that of the 41-year-old Portuguese player cannot go unnoticed, with comparisons to Messi and even others who took it with humor, claiming it was sarcasm. Other fans recalled that, since Leo plays for Inter Miami in the MLS in the United States, perhaps that proximity and exposure brought him closer to Messi and his country.
That same night, Edwards attracted attention, but this time for another reason, related to basketball. After his team, USA Stars, defeated USA Stripes 47-21, Anthony was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Meanwhile, even though Lionel and Cristiano are nearing the end of their careers, there is no doubt that both soccer stars have entertained fans with their sporting rivalry, not only when they shone at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, but also as the debate continues to rage on over time.
Lionel has scored 896 goals (77 with Inter Miami) and is preparing to kick off a new MLS season on February 21, where they will face Los Angeles FC as visitors at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and defend the MLS Cup title they won in December last year.
On the other hand, on his return to Al Nassr after a strike and absence during two matches against FIP, Cristiano scored his 962nd goal in matchday 22 of the Saudi Pro League against Al Fateh. This leaves him just 38 goals away from the incredible and unique milestone of 1,000, his next challenge. He will look to add to this tally in the AFC round of 16 against FK Arkadag on Wednesday, February 18, or on Saturday, February 21, against Al-Hazm.
Meanwhile, both stars are preparing for what will be their sixth World Cup, making them the only two players in history to have reached this number of appearances in the tournament.
Argentina will be in Group J, alongside Austria, Algeria, and Jordan. They will make their debut against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16. They will then face Austria (Monday, June 22) and Jordan (Friday, June 26). Despite this, Leo has not yet confirmed his presence in the tournament.
Meanwhile, in Group K, Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner of the Intercontinental Playoff between Jamaica, Congo, and New Caledonia. They will play their first match on Wednesday, June 17, against the winner of the Intercontinental Playoff. They will then face Uzbekistan (Tuesday, June 23) and Colombia (Saturday, June 27).