Sports
Gary Lineker Reveals Why Cristiano Ronaldo No Longer Talks to Him
Sometimes, even the greatest football players can have fragile egos. No matter what they’ve achieved in their careers, many just don’t seem able to rise above certain criticism.
Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be one of those characters. After all, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has won many honours, such as Champions League, Premier League, La Liga and European Championship titles, and yet he often comes across as a rather frustrated figure.
Perhaps that is because, throughout his career, he has been compared to Lionel Messi. The prevailing consensus in the footballing community is that Ronaldo is a legendary player, but the Argentine is even better, perhaps the best of all time – as highlighted by his record eight Ballon d’Or triumphs.
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Gary Lineker Prefers Messi Over Ronaldo
According to iconic England striker Gary Lineker – who played 12 games for the Three Lions at two World Cups (scoring 10 goals in total) and winning the Golden Boot at Mexico 1986 – Ronaldo is so insecure about his rivalry with Messi, that he no longer talks to the pundit due to some past comments made about the pair.
The ex-Match of the Day presenter made the admission during an appearance on the Louis Theroux Podcast, explaining how his one good relationship with Ronaldo has fallen to pieces ever since he dared to call Messi the better player.
He began: “I always feel bad because people have a go at me, saying ‘you don’t like Ronaldo. It’s not that I don’t like Ronaldo, I think he’s an absolutely incredible footballer, but there’s no argument about who is the better footballer. Anyone who understands the game will see that.”
He then praised the former Manchester United forward, noting, “But I’ve got so much admiration for Cristiano. He is so driven, so successful and scored so many goals.
“In many eras he would be the best player of his time. But the fact he is put in the same breath and lots of people make the comparison is a huge compliment to him and of what he has achieved.”
Because he hasn’t got the ability that Messi has. No one has. But it’s not an insult to Ronaldo to say that.”
He then explained how his past comments in favour of Messi cost him his relationship with Ronaldo, saying:
“Ronaldo fans [get annoyed with me]. And Ronaldo gets annoyed. He doesn’t speak to me anymore.
“We used to get on alright. And then suddenly I was interviewed, or something, and I was asked, ‘Who’s the better player?’ I said Messi. “Then I got told, ‘Oh, he doesn’t like you anymore’.”
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It’s not the first time there have been issues between the Portuguese star and Lineker, either. Indeed, in Euro 2024, Ronaldo failed to score a goal at the tournament, but lashed out at the punditry from within the UK.
The Tottenham Hotspur icon described Ronaldo’s antics after missing a penalty against Slovenia as childish, while his co-host Alan Shearer labelled the reaction as ‘hysterical.’ It’s believed Ronaldo was referring to the pair when he said:
“What am I going to do? Am I going to cry and then finish my career because two rats criticised me? The world loves me! The fans love me! This is my motivation. Nobody is going to take my shine away because two guys from television that nobody knows have criticised me.”
There will no doubt be plenty of focus on Ronaldo this summer as he looks to finally win the World Cup with Portugal. It will certainly be interesting to see what Lineker makes of the 41-year-old’s performances.
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Thierry Henry has issued a statement after inadvertently offending one nation competing at the 2026 World Cup.
The legendary French forward is working on the showpiece international tournament for US-broadcaster FOX Sports and met popular YouTuber IShowSpeed during the United States’ opening World Cup match against Paraguay on Friday.
A clip of Speed having his microphone taken away from him by Henry’s FOX Sports colleague and fellow football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic subsequently went viral on social media, but it was another clip that went down badly with the people of Nigeria.
What Thierry Henry Said About Nigeria Shorts
Zlatan and Henry both noticed Speed was wearing a pair of Nigeria shorts with his US Men’s National Team jersey.
“I love Nigeria but not today,” Henry said. “Today is US for you.”
Speed replied: “What’s wrong with Nigeria?”
Henry said: “Nigeria is great,” shortly before Paraguay scored against the USA. “You see?” Henry said. “You bring bad luck. That’s you bringing bad luck.” Watch the clip below:
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Thierry Henry Responds to Criticism
After receiving some criticism from disappointed Nigeria fans, Henry released a statement via Instagram, explaining his comments.
“Hello my people, this is Thierry,” the Arsenal hero said. “What a game we had yesterday. I needed to clarify something because I don’t think people understand when a joke is a joke.
“IShowSpeed yesterday had the shorts of Nigeria and the top of the US. I just set to him ‘it’s bad luck to break the set. It could have been the shorts of France, Italy or Spain, I would have said the same thing.”
He added: “I was just having a little joke with him, saying that it will be bad luck. Not that Nigeria is bad luck, but to break the set because you go as a set and I love Nigeria.
“And by the way, I do. I have mad respect for Nigeria and the people there. A lot of Arsenal fans out there, so don’t misunderstand stuff, please. Nigeria is never bad luck, I was just saying breaking the set is bad luck with any other shorts. Enjoy your day.” Watch Henry’s statement below:
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Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals after losing on penalties to DR Congo in November.
Despite boasting a handful of household names in their current squad, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi, Nigeria were unable to book their place at this summer’s tournament after also missing the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the United States began their 2026 World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles.
Liverpool have held meetings to sign ‘one of the best talents around’ ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Reds managed to qualify for the Champions League during the 2025-2026 season, meaning they should be shopping in the same market heading into the summer.
Liverpool looked as though they’d miss out on qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition, but they managed to get over the line despite a disappointing season.
Arne Slot was relieved of his duties after their struggles, with Andoni Iraola brought to the club to replace him as manager.
After solving the managerial situation, attention has quickly turned to improving Liverpool’s squad during the market.
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Liverpool Hold Talks for Young Talent
According to Italian journalist Romano, Liverpool have held meetings with the agents of Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi ahead of the summer transfer window.
The French club are well aware that some top sides around Europe will be coming for Bouaddi, with clubs starting conversations before the start of the World Cup.
“Lille knows very well that top clubs will be coming for Bouaddi, because even before the World Cup, some of the biggest clubs in the world started some conversations with his agents. I can tell you that between January and now, for sure, he’s been approached by Paris Saint-Germain. Paris Saint-Germain love Bouaddi. At the moment, they are not so busy with midfielders on the market, so that’s a point. But Paris Saint-Germain absolutely love Bouaddi, and they’ve been tracking him for a long time. Then we have to mention also that English clubs started having conversations for Bouaddi. For example, there were direct contacts with Arsenal and direct contacts also with Liverpool, so both clubs had meetings with the agents of the player, but now shining at the World Cup, one of the best talents around in midfield.”
So it appears Liverpool are likely to face plenty of competition if they do make a move for Bouaddi, especially after his display at the World Cup.
Big clubs will have already been tracking the 18-year-old, but the game against Brazil has only boosted his profile.
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Bouaddi Produces Special Brazil Display
It was a phenomenal display from Bouaddi against Brazil. Dominating the middle of the park despite being just 18 years old, the Morocco midfielder completed 60 of his 66 passes, with nine ground duels, while making six recoveries.
The Lille star looked like an established, experienced midfielder rather than an 18-year-old competing at his first World Cup.
Bouaddi was up against the likes of Lucas Paquetá, Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro, but he looked far from out of place.
If Bouaddi can keep up this level of performance throughout the tournament, he is going to be one of the hottest properties in the Summer transfer window.
Brazil fans and the media have issued a firm verdict on Casemiro after the Selecao’s opening 2026 World Cup match against Morocco on Saturday night.
The five-time world champions haven’t won the World Cup since 2002 but are among the favourites to lift football’s most iconic trophy on July 19.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side got off to an inauspicious start with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ismael Saibari gave Morocco the lead in the 21st minute with an excellent finish past Liverpool’s Alisson Becker. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or award, equalised with a goal of similar quality 10 minutes later.
No further goals were scored as the two sides, currently placed sixth and seventh in the latest FIFA rankings, escaped with one point apiece.
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Ancelotti made two changes at half-time, replacing right-back Ibanez with Danilo, and hooking Casemiro for Fabinho.
Casemiro, who has departed Manchester United despite an impressive final campaign with the Red Devils, has been heavily criticised for his unconvincing performance by Brazilian football fans and the media alike.
Goal handed the 34-year-old a 4/10 rating, commenting: “Had a real nightmare in midfield. Never kept up with the pace of the game, booked before half time, and hooked at the break.”
The reaction has been even more brutal on social media. One Brazilian fan account with 84,000 followers on X (Twitter) posted: “Casemiro: slow, immobile, not press resistant, can’t turn, can’t pass, no technical ability. It’s been a good 15 years but it’s time to go.”
One eye-opening clip shows Casemiro half-heartedly running back to his own half after losing possession:
Another tweet with a photo of Casemiro alongside the caption “This guy can’t be a starter for the Brazilian national team in a World Cup” has gone viral. And another Brazil supporter tweeted:
“Casemiro doesn’t have the conditions to play in this World Cup. It’s embarrassing.”
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Meanwhile, BBC Sport football reporter Simon Stone tweeted: “Man Utd probably glad they didn’t give Casemiro one more year on this evidence.”
Many Brazil fans on social media are calling for former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, 32, to start over Casemiro in the Selecao’s next Group C match against minnows Haiti on June 19.
Fabinho, no spring chicken himself, has been playing in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad since 2023.
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