CRISTIANO RONALDO was “a big FAILURE” at the World Cup while long-time rival Lionel Messi was “the absolute winner”, says Germany legend Lothar Matthaus.
Ronaldo, 37, crashed out in the World Cup quarter-finals after Portugal were beaten 1-0 by Morocco.
The free agent started Portugal’s knockout campaign from the bench after lacklustre displays in the group stages, which saw him score just one goal.
Messi, meanwhile, went on to lift the glittering, golden trophy, cementing himself as “the player of the millennium”.
That’s according to one-time World Cup winner, Matthaus, who labelled CR7 “a big failure of the World Cup” who has “damaged his legacy”.
Matthaus told Bild: “With his ego trips, Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself.
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“There is no doubt that he was a great player and an absolutely lethal finisher. But now he has damaged his legacy.
“I find it hard to think that he can find a place in a team. I kind of feel sorry for Ronaldo.”
Matthaus continued: “Ronaldo is of course a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi.
“[Messi is] the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all football fans great joy with his qualities and the way he plays over 17-18 years.
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“For me, Messi is the player of the millennium.”
Ronaldo played the World Cup without a club after Manchester United ripped up his contract.
The 819 career-goal forward’s explosive sit-down interview with SunSport columnist and TalkTV main man, Piers Morgan, was the final nail in the coffin.
Ronaldo accused United of betrayal, while also declaring he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag.
He will now search for a new club and was recently training at former team Real Madrid’s base.
However, he worked separately from Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
Meanwhile, Messi and Co have touched down in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, medals round necks and the £16million golden trophy in hand.
Thousands lined the streets in the early hours of Tuesday morning as the Argentina team celebrated on an open top bus.
The Argentine government has declared a national Bank Holiday to allow fans to take part in the celebrations which will see the players travelling to the famous Obelisk monument at noon local time with the World Cup.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
