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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s Transfer Decisions Criticized by Nicolas Anelka
Former French forward Nicolas Anelka has raised concerns over the transfer decisions made by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2022. Anelka believes that the duo should have opted for a more straightforward path to extend their careers, rather than taking on the challenges of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) respectively.
Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018, left the Italian giants to return to Manchester United in 2021 amidst much hype. Meanwhile, Messi had to leave Barcelona due to contract issues and ended up joining PSG. Anelka suggested that they should have considered moving to leagues with less demanding schedules, saying, “This is what happens to players who want to play longer. Their careers are over and I think they must both be very happy with what they have achieved in the last 15 years.”
In an interview with Goal in March 2022, Anelka expressed his surprise at Messi’s move to PSG, stating that he thought the Argentine would find it challenging to adapt to the French league. He also criticized Ronaldo for returning to the Premier League, saying, “For me, the Premier League is the most demanding championship in the world. They were not intelligent. They should have thought of facing a less complicated challenge.”
The duo did eventually find themselves in arguably lower leagues, with Ronaldo joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January 2023 and Messi moving to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
In November 2023, Anelka spoke about how the influence of Ronaldo and Messi has led to a decline in young players seeking to play as traditional centre-forwards. He explained, “Today, to find a number 9 there are fewer and fewer. The new generation was robbed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. And Messi and Ronaldo are two offensive players, but not number 9 attackers.” Anelka believes that the duos’ dominance has encouraged young players to opt for wider positions, saying, “All the young people identified with Ronaldo and Messi wanted to start playing either on the left or the right.”
Ronaldo’s early career saw him play on the left wing, before shifting to a centre-forward role later on. Messi, on the other hand, has typically operated as a playmaker or false 9 for most of his career.
