Cristiano Ronaldo has asked long-time rival, Lionel Messi to challenge himself and come to Italy to play.
“I’d like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he’s happy there then I respect that,” Ronaldo told the Italian press on the occasion of his 150 days in the league.
Ronaldo andd Messi have been rivals for over a decade and have both dominated the Ballon D’Or during the period, with both of them playing in the La Liga. The dominance was broken by Modric who won the award for 2018.
Ronaldo was asked of he missed the Argentine and said he believes the Barcelona forward needed him more.
He replied: “No, maybe it’s him who misses me.
“I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain.
“Maybe he needs me more… For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make people happy.
“He’s a fantastic player and a good guy, but I don’t miss anything here. This is my new life and I’m happy.
“I left my comfort zone and took on this challenge here in Turin, everything has gone well, I’ve proven I’m still an incredible player,”he said.
The interview was done to mark his 150 days in the Seria A and the five times World Player of the year award said he had other options but opted for Juventus instead.
“I had different options. I won’t say which but I had them. Juventus is a solid club. It has a long history,” he said of his decision.
“I knew the atmosphere in the stadium. I’d played several times in Italy. I like the city, the people and the club. I knew it could work.
“I couldn’t be 100 percent sure I was joining the best club in the world. After nine years at Real Madrid it was difficult to compare.
“Now I’m 100 percent sure it was the right option.”
“I had different options. I won’t say which but I had them. Juventus is a solid club. It has a long history,” he said of his decision.
“I knew the atmosphere in the stadium. I’d played several times in Italy. I like the city, the people and the club. I knew it could work.
“I couldn’t be 100 percent sure I was joining the best club in the world. After nine years at Real Madrid it was difficult to compare.
“Now I’m 100 percent sure it was the right option.”
Ronaldo joined Juventus for $114 million last summer.