What’s the story?
Former Barcelona superstar Dani Alves has blamed the media for creating tension between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo. The right-back was involved in a brief confrontation with Ronaldo during a Clasico match and later spoke about the Portuguese star in the press, saying that his desire to be in the limelight has its downsides.
All this led to Ronaldo snubbing Alves in the 2015 Ballon d’Or gala where he was named the best player of the year. Now, Alves says that his comments were blown out of proportion by the press and he never intended to disrespect the Real Madrid superstar.
“All my fights with Cristiano were because of the press,” he told ABC.
“If people only knew how much I respect Cristiano Ronaldo. I will repeat it to make myself clear: I respect Cristiano Ronaldo. Everyone tells me what a fantastic professional he is. As for CR7, it’s different, he was my rival and I had to compete with him.
“When I said he always wanted the limelight, that when you win you are going to be the star but when you lose they will go for you, I said it in a very respectful way. And I think the same of [Lionel] Messi or Neymar. But my thoughts were not negative. What happens is that the press sold them differently, saying that I had spoken ill of him. And Ronaldo believed it.
"That’s why he did not greet me at the Ballon d’Or gala in 2015. I do not need to talk about anyone to go out in the newspapers. I have no ego."
In case you didn’t know...
Alves and Ronaldo did not share a cordial relationship during the Brazilian’s time at the Camp Nou, with a number of on-field incidents and quotes souring the relationship between the two.
The heart of the matter
Alves and Ronaldo have not seen eye to eye on many issues but these latest quotes from the Juventus star will go a long way in clearing any misconceptions we had about his views on the Real Madrid superstar.
While Alves and Ronaldo were fierce competitors on the pitch, it is heartening to see the respect Alves has for one of the greatest footballers of our generation.
Sportskeeda’s take
Both Alves and Ronaldo have enjoyed highly successful careers with their respective clubs. While they were rivals during the Brazilian’s time at Barcelona (often being involved in nasty altercations), it is nice to see that Alves has come out and cleared the air regarding his views on the four-time Ballon d’Or winner.
