Sofiane Boufal, a Morocco player said he enjoyed seeing Cristiano Ronaldo cry at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and expressed his admiration for Lionel Messi.
The 29-year-old played a special role in the match that saw the African side stun Portugal 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final.
Ronaldo had great expectations going into the World Cup in Qatar, but his performance was less than stellar.
Before Portugal’s embarrassing exit in the quarterfinals, manager Fernando Santos famously benched the attacker for both of the team’s knockout games.
The Selecao were eliminated from the World Cup by a shocking 1-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.
Ronaldo entered the game as a second-half substitute, but his efforts were futile, and he eventually departed the field in tears.
Morocco’s run to the last four was the tournament’s biggest shock.
Their incredible journey ended in the quarterfinals against France, despite victories over such heavyweights as Belgium, Spain, and Portugal.
Morocco’s starting center-back in the World Cup, Sofiane Boufal, has admitted that he liked watching Ronaldo break down in tears following his team’s loss to Morocco.
Sofiane Boufal, the Al-Rayyan forward has also stated his preference for Messi over the former Manchester United legend.
Sofiane Boufal said in a statement that reads; “With all due respect to Cristiano Ronaldo, I enjoyed seeing him cry more than how we cried. I prefer Lionel Messi over Ronaldo, and the club I wish to play for is FC Barcelona”.
During an interview with Qatari sports station Alkass, Boufal was asked the inevitable question regarding his team’s extraordinary journey to the World Cup semi-finals, and he responded emphatically, saying:”I enjoyed seeing him cry, rather than us[Morocco] crying”
He also had something to say about the “best of all time” discussion, saying that the Al-Nassr star shouldn’t be included in that debate.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Sofiane Boufal’s Morocco were eliminated in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
The PSG star was La Albiceleste’s key offensive catalyst, contributing to seven goals and three assists in seven contests.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the greatest footballers of all time and easily the best of their generation.
The fact that they have shared a total of 12 Ballon d’Or awards attests to their greatness.
It’s worth remembering that between 2007 and 2018, not a single other player won the prestigious award.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had incredible careers, but they are getting to their retirement now that they are 35 and 38 years old respectively.
While Messi’s contract with PSG expires in June, Ronaldo has already left European football to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in December.
What’s next for Sofiane Boufal?
This evening sees the return of Sofiane Boufal’s Al-Rayyan to Qatari Stars League action, as they take on Al-Sailiya after a four-week break.
