Ronaldo: 'The hypocrite said he wanted Argentina to win'

* Argentina - Croatia: 2:00 pm on December 14, on MetaSports.

"I will be honest. I cannot say that I want Argentina to win the World Cup, because of the great rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. That would be a lie and make me a hypocrite," Ronaldo told the Spanish newspaper. House of Marca on 12/12.

The 46-year-old player said he would be happy if Messi won the 2022 World Cup, but not happy when Argentina won the gold cup as a Brazilian fan. "But of course, I see football as a romance. I would like any champion," he added.

At the World Cup, which he confirmed to be the last to attend, Messi is expected to lead the Argentina team to the throne. The 35-year-old star once came close to winning the 2014 World Cup, but Argentina lost 0-1 to Germany in the final by Mario Gotze's goal in extra time. The rest, Messi and Argentina reached the quarterfinals of 2006, 2010 and the eighth round of 2018.

"Who doesn't want to win the World Cup. But football is about playing and winning. Nobody gives you anything for free," Ronaldo said. "Argentina is not attractive, but has extraordinary desire. They are determined, aggressive and run a lot. And Argentina has Messi - who can make a difference in the opposite field."

According to Ronaldo, despite being more appreciated, Argentina needs to be cautious of Croatia's solid and durable kick. The 46-year-old also appreciates Croatia's midfield, with a trio of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic.

But the former Brazilian striker said that France is the most serious candidate for the 2022 World Cup championship, when possessing an even squad in all three lines. Ronaldo thinks Morocco cannot beat France, despite going through an "extraordinary adventure".

Despite the absence of many pillars, including Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Lucas Hernandez due to injury, France still reached the semi-finals of the World Cup for the second time in a row to raise the ambition to defend the gold cup. The last team to reach the final twice in a row was Brazil in 1998, when they lost 0-3 to France.

Ronaldo also predicted striker Kylian Mbappe will be honored as the best player of the tournament. "Mbappe reminds me of myself when I was playing. He knows how to use his skills, dribble past opponents to pass or score," Ronaldo added.