Cristiano Ronaldo message to Lionel Messi’s after PSG transfer
On Tuesday, Lionel Messi's free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was confirmed, with his old rival cheekily offered the chance to join him in the French top flight.
Jose Fonte’s request to join Lionel Messi in Ligue 1 next season was laughed off by Cristiano Ronaldo.
After his long affiliation with Barcelona came to an end earlier this week, Messi officially completed his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In an emotional press conference on Sunday, the goalscoring sensation revealed that he wanted to stay at the Camp Nou, but that the Catalan giants were unable to sanction a deal due to financial constraints.
He will now sign a two-year deal with the French giants earning a stunning £22 million per year.
Messi will be playing club football for the first time outside of Spain, whereas Ronaldo has had success in Portugal, England, Spain, and now Italy.
When he was offered the chance to join the current Ligue 1 champions, he was less than enthusiastic.
Jose Fonte, a Portugal teammate, said that he sent an audacious text message to his compatriot, asking him to join Lille and challenge Messi once more.
“I feel great. I feel great because it’s incredible to hear a player like Lionel Messi is in French football in our league,” Fonte told talkSPORT.
Messi has signed a two-year deal with PSG (Image: Aurelien Meunier /PSG via Getty Images)
“It’s exciting. Obviously in terms of competitors it’s going to be even harder for us but we’re up for a challenge – I’m texting Cristiano to come to Lille every day! He’s only replied ‘ha ha ha.'”
He added: “Imagine if we keep a clean sheet against them [Messi, Neymar and Mbappe]! It will just value us even more even if we do it.
“Incredible front three. Are they going to defend? I don’t know. It will be interesting to see the competitiveness of the league this year.
“I want to touch on another aspect though. I just want to understand the Financial Fair Play in France.
“Every single club is restricting their spending. They can’t buy a lot, they can’t get players on big wages but then PSG comes and it looks like there’s no law.”
Messi will hold a press conference on Wednesday (10am BST) to fully discuss his move, but has already offered a glimpse into why he made the decision to move to the French capital.
“I am impatient to start a new chapter of my career in Paris. The club and its vision are in perfect harmony with my ambitions,” said the Argentina star.
“I know how talented the players and staff are here. I am determined to build, alongside them, something great for the club and for the fans. I can’t wait to set foot on the Parc des Princes pitch.”
