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Patrice Evra said that his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup was painful for the forward due to an eventful last year.
Evra said that the Portugal captain, unlike Lionel Messi, found himself in muddied waters after regularly getting benched at Old Trafford. This eventually affected his preparations for the World Cup as well.
The forward also got benched in Portugal's two knockout games in Qatar and the team's loss against Morocco in the quarter-finals broke his ultimate dream.
Speaking to Football Daily, the French football coach said:
“With Cristiano I wished him good luck for the World Cup. It was like in the club, the problem if he should start, if he should not start. And Messi didn't have that problem.''
He added:
''So that's why I think it's really painful, even for Cristiano, because this could be his last chance. The manager should back Cristiano Ronaldo. I don't know, maybe he prioritized the team. Maybe he was thinking the team is better without Ronaldo.
However, the Frenchman believes that the Portuguese remains the greatest player of all time alongside Messi, even without a World Cup trophy in his cabinet.
He said:
“But guys, let's not forget Messi is the greatest, Ronaldo is the greatest too. And in those society, when you have an opinion, when you're a fan of Ronaldo, people will say you hate Messi. When you're a fan of Messi, they will say you hate Ronaldo."
He added:
“But no, people have a different opinion. And Ronaldo is there. No matter he is not playing that final, he's still also the greatest.”
The Portugal international remains a free agent after his Manchester United contract was mutually terminated following his interview with Piers Morgan.
Media reports have claimed active interest from certain Premier League clubs, including Chelsea. Some reports claim that the former Real Madrid man has received the mammoth £200 million offer from Saudi-based club Al-Nassr.
However, he is yet to make his stand official yet and could decide his future in January.
''We want to see him play every week'' - Manchester United skipper Gary Neville as Cristiano Ronaldo is linked with a move to Chelsea
Gary Neville wants to see his former teammate play every week in the top European league and finish his career at a top club.
The former England and Manchester United defender said that one of the greatest players of all time should not end his career in a lesser-known league. He hopes that the world will get to see him play at the highest level.
Neville said via GOAL:
"I would love him to stay in the Premier League at a club that can have him up front and we can watch him every week. That’s what we want to see, we want to see him playing.”
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored three goals and provided two assists in 16 games for Manchester United this season. He scored once in Portugal's FIFA World Cup campaign, a penalty in a 3-2 win in their opening game against Ghana.
