In Lyon’s latest transfer announcement, Lionel Messi made an appearance to subtly mock Cristiano Ronaldo following his remarks about Ligue 1 and the Saudi Pro League.
On Wednesday, Lyon confirmed the acquisition of Thiago Almada, a former MLS star, who joins from Brazilian club Botafogo.
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The arrangement is described as a ‘free loan’ valid until June 30, 2025. ..Continue Reading
Almada, a full Argentina international with 6 caps and 2 goals, has already earned a World Cup winner’s medal after being included in the squad for the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Lyon announced the signing with an engaging social media video featuring fellow Argentine Nicolás Tagliafico and a humorous cameo from Messi – sort of.
During the video, a text message from ‘Lionel’ appeared with a not-so-subtle jab at ‘Cristiano’.
O Lyon provocou Cristiano Ronaldo no vídeo do anúncio do meia Thiago Almada.
O clube francês usou um "SMS" do Lionel Messi dizendo:
‘Não escuta o Cristiano, a Ligue 1 é incrível.’
????️: @OLpic.twitter.com/BAyn14X9I5
— LIBERTA DEPRE (@liberta___depre) January 15, 2025
The message read: “Don’t listen to Cristiano, Ligue 1 is incredible.”
This follows Ronaldo’s recent statement, where he reiterated his belief that the Saudi Pro League is more competitive and challenging than Ligue 1.
Speaking at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards last month, Ronaldo highlighted the temperature in Saudi Arabia as a key factor influencing his opinion.
He claimed: “The French league? Of course [it is worse]. I don’t say that because I play there [in Saudi Arabia]. They [people] should go there and play there, to see. To run in 38, 39, 40 degrees and sprint a few times, just to see how they’re going to be. Don’t believe in my words – go there and see.
“Only in France is PSG, the rest is finished.
“It’s my opinion. In France, it is only PSG, sorry. The other ones compete, okay. But PSG is the strongest – nobody competes with them.
“They have better players, they are the club with more money. This is a fact, and I don’t understand why people are so surprised.”
Following Lyon’s announcement, fans online took to social media to share their views.
One fan wrote: “This wins transfer announcement of the year already and we are only in January.”
But, Ronaldo fans weren’t too impressed with Lyon’s dig at the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player.
“Ronaldo is clearly rent-free in all these clubs’ heads, they know he was right deep down,” another fan commented.
