‘Their careers are over’: Nicolas Anelka delivers a withering verdict on the decline of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, insisting they were ‘not intelligent’ in joining Man United and PSG because they are not able to play ‘at the top’ anymore
- Nicolas Anelka slammed the star duo for not making smarter transfer decisions
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have endured difficult seasons for their clubs
- The former France striker said they should have taken easier challenges
- Anelka’s own playing career ended in India and included a stint in China
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s careers are ‘finished’ and they should have made smarter moves or retired instead of joining PSG and Manchester United last summer, Nicolas Anelka has sensationally claimed.
In scathing comments about the Argentine and Portuguese stars, the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid striker – whose own career ended in India – said the world’s top two players had not been ‘intelligent’.
Messi made the switch from his boyhood club Barcelona to the French giants, while Ronaldo snubbed Manchester City in favour of returning to Manchester United in transfers that stunned the football world.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have endured disappointing seasons for their clubs
But Anelka – who moved to China during his twilight years as a player – said the Argentine and Portuguese stars should have opted for an easier challenge to close out their glittering careers.
‘This is what happens to players who want to play longer,’ Anelka told RMC Sport.
‘Their careers are over and I think they must both be very happy with what they have achieved in the last 15 years. They were above the others and now it is normal for them to slow down.
‘I was more surprised with Messi than with Ronaldo, I thought that Messi would turn around in France and Ronaldo would have more difficulties in England because, for me, the Premier League is the most demanding championship in the world.
Nicolas Anelka claims Ronaldo and Messi were ‘not intelligent’ in joining United and PSG
The French striker moved to Shanghai Shenhua in China during the twilight years of his career
‘[They] were not intelligent. They should have thought of facing a less complicated challenge because you have to make the right decisions to finish at the top. There are players who don’t hesitate to finish at 32, 33, 34 so as not to be criticised. I stopped at 36, but at 32 I went to China.’
Messi and Ronaldo both crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage as PSG were humbled by Real Madrid and United lost to Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine received a wave of criticism following PSG’s European exit and was booed by angry fans during their league match against Bordeaux last Sunday.
He remains determined to make a success of his move to France despite the abuse from supporters and is planning to stay beyond the end of this season following rumours of a sensational return to Barcelona.
Anelka made his mark in the Premier League for Arsenal before ending his career in India
Messi wants to lift the Ligue 1 trophy and still dreams of winning the Champions League with the Parisian club.
Ronaldo has endured struggles of his own this season, with fans and pundits often questioning his value to the United side.
The 37-year-old has regularly been dropped by interim manager Ralf Rangnick amid suggestions he does not work hard enough for the team.
But Ronaldo was influential in United qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages and scored a hat-trick in their crucial 3-2 win over Tottenham last weekend.
The star forward, whose contract at the Old Trafford club expires next summer, will end the season empty-handed after the Atletico defeat.
Ronaldo had been widely tipped to leave at the end of the current campaign should United fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
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