Lionel Messi took to Lyon’s latest transfer announcement to take a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo following his comments about Ligue 1 and the Saudi Pro League.
Lyon confirmed the signing of Thiago Almada on Wednesday, with the former MLS star joining from Brazilian side Botafogo.
The deal has been described as ‘free loan’ until June 30, 2025.
Almada is a fully Argentine international with 6 caps and 2 goals. The 23-year-old has already collected a World Cup winners’ medal since joining the squad for Qatar in 2022.
Lyon announced the signing with a splashy social media video featuring fellow Argentine Nicolas Tagliafico and a hilarious cameo from Messi. Well, sort of.
During the video, a text message from ‘Lionel’ surfaced with a very subtle dig at a certain ‘Cristiano’.
The text read: “Don’t listen to Cristiano, Ligue 1 is unbelievable.”
This comes after the Al-Nassr star doubled down on his claim that the Saudi Pro League is a more competitive and challenging league than Ligue 1.
Speaking at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards last month, Ronaldo revealed that the temperature in Saudi Arabia was a key factor in forming his opinion.
He claimed: “The French League? Absolutely [it is worse]I don’t say that because I play there [in Saudi Arabia]They [people] One should go there and play and watch. Running in 38, 39, 40 degrees and a few times faster, just to see how they would be. Don’t believe my words – go there and see.
“There is only PSG in France, everything else is gone.
“This is my opinion. In France, it is only PSG, sorry. Others compete, OK. But PSG is the strongest – no one competes with them.
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Portugal in 2024 – Getty
“They have better players, they are a club with more money. It’s a fact, and I don’t understand why people are so surprised.”
Following Lyon’s announcement, online fans took to social media to share their thoughts.
One fan wrote: “This has already won transfer announcement of the year and we’re only in January.”
However, Ronaldo fans were not too impressed with Lyon’s dig at the former Real Madrid and Man United star.
Another fan commented, “Ronaldo is clearly rent-free in the minds of all these clubs, they know he was right inside.”