Cristiano Ronaldo showed little interest in discussing Lionel Messi after Portugal’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan on Monday, brushing aside repeated questions about a potential World Cup meeting with Argentina later in the tournament.
Portugal’s captain was in no mood to entertain speculation following his side’s dominant Group K performance, which strengthened their position in the race for the knockout stages.
Speaking in the mixed zone after the match, Ronaldo was first asked in Spanish whether he would welcome a possible showdown against Messi and reigning champions Argentina in the latter rounds of the competition.
The 41-year-old immediately dismissed the suggestion, describing the question as “nonsense” before making it clear that Portugal’s focus remained firmly on their own campaign rather than hypothetical future opponents.
The subject resurfaced moments later when another reporter attempted to bring both Messi and France forward Kylian Mbappe into the discussion.
Ronaldo quickly cut the exchange short, waving the reporter on and repeatedly saying, “Dale, dale, dale,” signalling his reluctance to continue the conversation.
When asked whether he would answer any further questions on the topic, the Portugal captain offered a brief response.
“It depends on the question. If not, I won’t answer,” he said.
Rather than engage in debate about football’s biggest stars, Ronaldo preferred to reflect on Portugal’s convincing display and the collective effort behind the result.
He stressed the importance of maintaining concentration on matters within the team’s control as Portugal continue their push through the group stage.
The victory moved Portugal onto four points and temporarily to the top of Group K ahead of their next assignment against Colombia in Miami, where they will look to take another significant step towards the knockout rounds.
