Lisandro Martinez has claimed that Lionel Messi is “a winner” ahead of becoming a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine was confirmed as a Red Devil earlier this week having sealed a £57m move from Dutch giants Ajax. He is the third addition of the summer following Erik ten Hag ’s arrival at the club. Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia have also been recruited with the trio now set to become teammates of Cristiano Ronaldo - that is if he fails to secure a move away from the club following his transfer request.
Ahead of linking up with the Portuguese icon, Martinez has already shared his thoughts on his main rival Messi - the pair having been compared throughout their respective careers, particularly during their stints in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
With Martinez having been a teammate of Messi with the Argentine national team, he has not attempted to hide his admiration of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. He also praised his huge role ahead of the 2021 Copa America final as Argentina secured their first piece of major silverware since 1993.
Speaking with TNT Sports, the defender said: "Messi is a leader, he is a winner, he is the one who wears the armband, the one who speaks. Leo spoke in the final, I won't say exactly what he said but really, one would have wanted to go out and eat up the entire pitch."
Messi's motivational speeach ahead of the appeared to work too as Argentina eventually ran out winners against fierce rivals Brazil at the Maracana - Angel di Maria netting the winning goal.
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It remains to be seen whether Martinez will play alongside Ronaldo - and thus be able to compare the two this term with the Portuguese having expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford.
He has missed all of the Red Devils’ pre-season tour of Asia and Australia but has since returned to the club’s Carrington training base for talks regarding his future.
He has made a demand to leave the club on a free transfer despite a year remaining on the contract that he signed upon returning from Juventus last summer. As it stands, the Red Devils are still not keen on losing their star forward and have maintained the stance that he is not for sale.
In the meantime, his most likely suitors appear to have fallen by the wayside - the most recent being Atletico Madrid, the club’s supporters unfurling a banner opposing the Portuguese’s arrival at the Wanda Metropolitano.
