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Cristiano Ronaldo abruptly shut down a question about Lionel Messi following Portugal's win over Uzbekistan on Tuesday, cutting the reporter short with a shout of "vale"—meaning go on—the moment the Argentine's name was mentioned, immediately redirecting attention to another journalist for a different question.
Shortly after the final whistle of Portugal's World Cup opener against DR Congo—a frustrating 1–1 draw in which Ronaldo labored fruitlessly for the full 90 minutes—the goalless captain marched straight down the tunnel, only to resurface later for some brief media obligations.
Ronaldo was understandably more talkative on Tuesday, energized by a record-setting two-goal performance in a commanding 5–0 victory, yet he refused to be drawn into any comparison with his longtime rival.
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"Yesterday," one reporter began in the postgame mixed zone, "Lionel Messi scored two goals, [Kylian] Mbappé..." at which point Ronaldo swung his head to the opposite side of the media huddle and repeated: "Vale"—"Go on"—prompting another question to be fired quickly.
Messi, as the journalist was reminding Ronaldo, has had a sensational start to Argentina's World Cup title defense, adding a brace against Austria to an opening-game hat-trick to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer. While Ronaldo can boast of netting in six separate World Cups (Messi failed to score in 2010), his tally of 10 tournament goals falls well short of his rival's remarkable benchmark of 18.
The Messi vs. Ronaldo debate has dominated football for the past two decades. The two most gifted players of their era rose to global stardom just as social media took hold, with both elements effectively transforming a team sport into a personal rivalry. Each has acknowledged that competing against the other drove them to greater heights, but Ronaldo was in no mood to revisit that sentiment on this occasion.
Ronaldo Is 'Back' After 'Dark Week'
When the final whistle blew, a camera operator made a predictable dash toward Ronaldo. Portugal's captain turned to face the lens and declared (in English): "I'm back!" He repeated it for emphasis.
Zlatan Ibrahimović questioned why Ronaldo felt the need to make such a statement. "I thought he never left," the retired forward reflected on Fox Sports. "I don't know why he says, 'I'm back.'"
Ronaldo was asked the very same thing, explaining it was "only so they [his critics] don't forget—23 years [doing so] like this."
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"I'm very happy but the most important thing is the work the team put in and the confidence it gives us," the 41-year-old added, addressing the criticism he had faced following his goalless outing against DR Congo. "Obviously personal records are always gratifying, but my goal is always to help the team reach its objectives.
"We had to overcome many challenges during the week but the team worked brilliantly and improved a great deal. It's been a tough week, a dark week without touching a ball, but we handled it the way we always do because we believe in what we do. It was hard, but we're back."