Lionel Messi May Not Guarantee Champions League Success for PSG, Says Ronaldo Nazário
Former FIFA World Player of the Year, Ronaldo Nazário, has opined that PSG may not win the Champions League despite signing Lionel Messi this season, saying over-reliance on individual players could be dangerous.
The ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid forward, who is widely considered to be one of the best players of his generation, says there are ‘many factors’ that determine whether a club can win on Europe’s biggest stage, and that having a collection of stars may not guarantee it.
“It’s still too early to say who will win the Champions League,” ‘R9′ said in an interview with Diario AS.
“I played for Real Madrid for almost five seasons, in the Galacticos team and I never won the Champions League. Winning is never mathematical, even if you have the best on your team. It also applies to PSG.”
Despite a career littered with individual and collective glories, Ronaldo never lifted the Champions League. The 44 year old, who is now the President of Spanish side Real Valladolid, only tasted European success with UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup victories in 1997 and 1998 respectively.
Conversely, Messi has lifted the coveted trophy on four occasions, scoring in the 2009 and 2011 triumphs over Manchester United. His new club are yet to clinch the crown, having lost narrowly to Bayern Munich in Lisbon in 2020’s final.
However, another ex-Barcelona star, midfield maestro Juan Román Riquelme, believes Messi will make the difference for Mauricio Pochettino’s men this year and carry them to that elusive first Champions League triumph.
“I hope that Messi continues to enjoy Paris,” he told ESPN. “I don’t know if it is strange but we are all excited to see him enjoy with (Kylian) Mbappé and Neymar.
If they don’t win the Champions League now, they won’t win it anymore. I think Messi will win the Champions League with PSG and retire in Barcelona.”
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