Ronaldo once intended to retire if Messi won the Ballon d'Or
In his autobiography about Ronaldo through nine interviews with the Portuguese superstar, Marchand said the 37-year-old striker respects what Messi can do in football. "I'm pretty sure Ronaldo admires Messi," he wrote. "Ronaldo doesn't hate Messi as a player, but as a person."
Marchand is the former head of international football for France Football magazine - the founding organization of the Golden Ball. The Golden Ball was first awarded in 1956, exclusively for European players until 1994. Since 1995, the award has been extended to players around the world, playing for European clubs.
"When they are successful, they easily live in their comfort zone, not take risks like I usually do," Ronaldo told Marchand on October 22, 2019. "I dared to accept the invitation to Juventus in the summer of 2018, to challenge in a new environment, although I am sure that is the reason why I failed the Ballon d'Or that year."
"I don't regret this decision, but...", Ronaldo paused mid-sentence.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer of 2018. By December 2018, midfielder Luka Modric won the Golden Ball with 753 points, while CR7 only received the Silver Ball with 478 points. If he won the top prize that year, the Portuguese superstar could have surpassed Messi in the number of Golden Balls for the first time since 2008.
Ronaldo did not mention Messi by name in the above quote, but suddenly he said to Marchand: "If Messi wins the 2019 Ballon d'Or, I will quit football".
At the end of 2019, Messi won the sixth Golden Ball to surpass Ronaldo. The Argentine superstar received 686 points, just seven more than Virgil van Dijk's Silver Ball. It was the closest gap between the top two at the tournament since 1996, when Mathias Sammer beat Ronaldo Nazario by one point.
Ronaldo still plays for Juventus before moving to Man Utd in the summer of 2021. Later that year, Messi won the seventh Golden Ball with 613 points, compared to the Silver Ball Robert Lewandowski 580 points.
Also in the interview with Marchand, Ronaldo said that he wants to play for PSG. "The Portuguese in Paris alone are enough to fill the Parc des Princes," CR7 said. "I think I can play well in front of 50,000 Parc des Princes. The door is always open."
Messi left Barca and freely joined PSG in the summer of 2021. The 35-year-old superstar scored only 11 goals in 34 games last season, but he has surpassed that achievement in just 18 games this season. Messi and Ronaldo are both aiming for their first World Cup title, along with Argentina and Portugal.
