Lionel Messi warned his long-term adversary Cristiano Ronaldo that his glorious homecoming transfer to Manchester United last summer was unlikely to go to plan.
The sensational move came the same month as Messi completed his high-profile switch to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona. After initially failing to live up to his billing in the French capital, Messi now has hit top form for his club in his second season.
The Argentine had been unhappy in Paris but has now reiterated he has fully settled in the city and the club, where he looks to extend his stay. This is in contrast to Ronaldo, who ended his relationship with United by mutual consent this week, following the player's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
While Messi has transformed his fortunes at the club he joined a year ago, the same could not be said of Ronaldo. Despite a great deal of fanfare over his return to United after 12 years away, things did not go to plan.
The Portuguese superstar may have scored 24 goals in all competitions last season, but United slumped from a second-placed finish to a distant sixth – and 11 points off the top five. There was a collective nosedive in form from all players after the striker's arrival.
The slump in form led to the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a year ago, although the situation did not improve under interim coach Ralf Rangnick. United's form has improved markedly this season following the summer appointment of Erik ten Hag, who often overlooked Ronaldo for selection.
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When asked about Ronaldo's move to the Red Devils after Solskjaer was sacked, Messi told Marca last November: "United are a very strong team with great players. Cristiano already knew the club, but that was at another stage and now he has adapted in an impressive way.
"From the beginning, he has scored goals as always and had no problems adapting. In the Premier League, it is not as good as we all thought, but it is a very difficult and even competition in which things take a lot of turns. After December it changes a lot and anything can happen."
At the time, Messi was also asked if he missed competing against Ronaldo on a regular basis – with the two going head-to-head in La Liga between 2009 and 2018: "It's been a long time since we stopped competing in the same league. We competed individually and as a team for the same goals. It was a very beautiful stage for us and also for the people because they enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful memory that will remain in the history of football."
