Photo
France Football magazine has fuelled the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after publishing a story which said it felt the Real Madrid star had lost his “aura of invincibility” and was short of “buzz.”
The publication led with a biographical piece suggesting that Ronaldo’s life story was “inspired by circumstance, not brilliance”, and adding “no one can quantify his enjoyment.”
But after some senior sports officials and fans in France were fuming at the slight, France Football chief Joachim Loew issued a statement calling the story “an extraordinary lie.”
“It’s the lie of the century,” he said. “If anything, Ronaldo is the hottest topic, selling newspapers and magazine covers. France Football is capable of having ‘sex, lies and statistics’ and it turned to Mr. Joachim Loew for his opinion. It was a fantastic job from the editor. ”
Loew said he had a “beautiful conversation” with Loew.
“His words are indisputable. But France Football is lazy. It even wrote a story headlined: ‘Mafia Tactic: Why Benzema does not start for Real Madrid.’ It is total nonsense. It’s a tabloid affair and the French magazine has lost its way,” Loew added.
Ronaldo is now primed to see off Messi, according to Cristiano-tracker Blanco Villegas.