"Why do they hate him so much" - Fans slam media outlet for 'double standards' as they compare Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's performances

Cristiano Ronaldo fans are furious with ESPN FC after their coverage of Portugal's win over Armenia and Lionel Messi-led Argentina's win over Venezuela. They believe there is a clear bias, with the pundits favoring the Inter Miami captain while downplaying the Al-Nassr superstar.

Messi starred for Argentina in their final FIFA World Cup qualifier at home, scoring a brace as his side went on to win 3-0. Ronaldo scored a brace less than 48 hours later, helping Portugal win their first qualifier 5-0 against Armenia.

ESPN FC ran segments on both matches, but the titles of their YouTube videos have got the fans talking. The videos praised Messi for his brace, hailing him as a genius, while Ronaldo's brace was brushed off as 'not a big deal'.

Fans have now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to hit out at the videos and posted:

Cristiano Ronaldo has repeatedly admitted that he has one eye on the FIFA World Cup next year. He claimed that it was one of the key reasons why he opted to stay at Al-Nassr and extend his contract until 2027.

Lionel Messi has cast doubt on his involvement in the 2026 tournament, saying he is taking things match by match due to his recent injury issues. He has been dealing with a leg injury in recent weeks, and missed four Inter Miami matches in August.

Pundit makes bold Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo claim

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol was on ESPN FC after Argentina's win over Venezuela and claimed that Lionel Messi was showing why he should be at the FIFA World Cup next year. He claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was not close to having the impact he once did for Portugal and said:

"He [Messi] should be [playing] at the World Cup. When you get to the latter stages of the career, when you're 38-39, things do start going [against you] and then you start questioning yourself. But when you have the ability that he has, why would you not have him coming off the bench [at least]?

"Cristiano should not be starting for Portugal. We are not saying that about Lionel Messi. We're not saying Messi shouldn't start for Argentina, so the fact that he is, and he has shown no signs [of decline] in an Argentina jersey, means that he should be there [at the World Cup]. I don't think there's any argument."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have acknowledged that they are nearing the twilight of their careers, with retirement looming.

About the author

Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Sripad