Cristiano's 2019 words: "If Messi wins the Ballon d'Or, I'll retire"

Cristiano Ronaldo is not living his best moment at Manchester United. The Portuguese striker has been dropped to the bench under Ten Hag and is hoping for a move away from Old Trafford in the upcoming winter transfer window.

The Portuguese left Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 for Juventus. A year later, he gave an interview to Thierry Marchand, a journalist from 'L'Equipe', and the latter has used it as a biography. In it, we could read a curious sentence addressed to Leo Messi.

"It's easy to stay in your comfort zone when you are successful. I took a risk coming to Turin. I changed club, championship, football culture, I took a risk and it was that risk that, I'm sure, made me not win the Ballon d'Or in 2018. If Messi wins the Ballon d'Or this year, I will retire from football," he said.

The previous year, the award went to Modric and in 2019, it went to the Argentinian and the former juventus player did not retire from football. He also referred to the interest Paris Saint-Germain had in signing him when he decided to leave the Bernabeu after being crowned five-time Champions League winners.

"I know the door is open. I can see myself playing at the Parc des Princes in front of 50,000 Portuguese emigrants. It would be fantastic," said the five-time Ballon d'Or winner after his farewell words on the pitch in Kiev after beating Liverpool 3-1.