“I watched the last match of Al-Nassr” – Lionel Messi’s former coach devises plan to stop Cristiano Ronaldo in upcoming AFC Champions League clash

Lionel Messi's former coach Christophe Galtier shared his take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr ahead of facing the Saudi Pro League club in the AFC Champions League.

Galtier is currently in charge of Qatari club Al-Duhail, who will face Al-Nassr on Tuesday, October 24. He was previously in charge of Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he managed superstars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar.

Al-Alami enter the contest having won both of their opening AFC Champions League games.

Luis Castro's side defeated Damac 2-1 in their most recent match in the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo and Anderson Talisca each scored free-kick goals to complete the comeback win. Speaking about Al-Nassr's form, Galtier said ahead of the AFC Champions League game (via Al-Nassr Zone):

“I watched the last match of Al Nassr and of course we saw the goals of Cristiano and Talisca, so the first point is that we must avoid mistakes in the close areas and defend well.”

Further speaking about Al-Nassr's attacking prowess, he said:

“Al-Nassr’s offensive approach is terrifying, and their players can make the difference from any shot.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has so far scored one goal in two AFC Champions League matches. His overall tally for the season stands at 12 goals and six assists in 12 matches across competitions.

When Lionel Messi made a stunning admission about his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo

Over the last 15 years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had been the two top footballers in the world. During their time in La Liga, they went head-to-head on numerous occasions and produced some of the best football the world has ever seen.

Messi once admitted Ronaldo made him suffer and he had fun playing against the Portuguese forward. The comments came after Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Juventus. Messi said in 2019 (via Juve FC):

"It was fun to play against him, even if he made me suffer too. It irritated me seeing Real Madrid lift trophies."

Messi added:

“I do wish he was still in Spain, but I have a great deal of respect for Juventus. They seem a very strong squad, with excellent players, and are now even stronger with Cristiano.”

The comments highlight that despite having a fearsome rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi had the utmost respect for his counterpart. Ronaldo has also admitted that they pushed each other to their limits to excel further.