Around this time, Messi was plying his trade with French giants Paris Saint-Germain and there was an argument to be made that Ronaldo was actually in better form than the Argentine. However, when speaking about his fellow football icon’s return to the Red Devils, he did offer up a warning that it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man who oversaw Ronaldo’s return, was sacked three months after the signing was announced. The Norwegian lost his place in the Old Trafford dugout in November 2021 and soon after Messi had his say on United’s fortunes while speaking to Marca.

“United are a very strong team with great players. Cristiano already knew the club, but that was at another stage and now he has adapted in an impressive way,” the former Barcelona sensation explained. “From the beginning, he has scored goals as always and had no problems adapting.”

It was Messi’s next remark that went on to ring true, as he added: “In the Premier League, it is not as good as we all thought, but it is a very difficult and even competition in which things take a lot of turns. After December it changes a lot and anything can happen.”

While it wasn’t that season, almost exactly a year on from Messi’s comments, things did change for United in December as it marked the first month they had to go at it alone following Ronaldo’s controversial departure. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner took parting shots at everyone, including manager Erik ten Hag, his predecessor Ralf Rangnick and the Glazers.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan spelled the end of his Man United career ( Image: @PiersUncensored/Twitter)

To compound Ronaldo’s misery, just one month after that interview, Messi managed to get his hands on the one trophy that will now likely forever elude the former Real Madrid man in the World Cup. In contrast, Ronaldo was filmed in tears following Portugal’s exit at the quarter-final stage.

Nowadays, Ronaldo can be found in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr as his illustrious playing career nears its end. It is a similar story for Messi, who opted for a move to the MLS with Inter Miami.

Messi and Ronaldo no longer face each other as often as they once did, but the former clearly looks back on those La Liga days fondly. The Camp Nou icon added: “It was a very beautiful stage for us and also for the people because they enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful memory that will remain in the history of football.”