Ronaldo dreams of a 'magical' World Cup final against Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo dreams of facing the 'magical' Lionel Messi in the World Cup final as two great footballers enter the twilight of their careers.

Ronaldo, 37, is hoping to help Portugal climb out of Group H, where they will face Ghana next Thursday before clashes against Uruguay and South Korea.

Messi, 35, travels to Qatar with pre-tournament favorites Argentina, who start Group C against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with fixtures against Mexico and Poland to follow .

After battling for center stage against former Barcelona star Messi for many years, former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo has admitted he would love to face his old foe in the showpiece of the World Cup on December 18.

"It's too beautiful, too beautiful as a dream," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan on TalkTV in his extensive interview, in which he criticized Manchester United, Old Trafford top brass Erik ten Hag and Ralf Ranknick.

The pair share 12 Ballon d'Or titles between them, with Messi's record seven two more than Ronaldo's run, assuming a dominant period in elite football between the evergreen duo.

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Messi is now playing at his football club Paris Saint-Germain, while Ronaldo's time at United appears to be coming to an abrupt end amid fury over his scathing interview about his current employers.

The Portugal international, despite the two men's revered battles throughout their respective careers, has assured that he has a 'great relationship' with Messi, whom he would love to sit down for a meal with.< /p>

"He's an incredible player, he's magical. As a person, he's great. We shared the stage for 16 years, imagine," he added.

"I have a great relationship with him. I'm not a friend of his when it comes to the guy at your house talking on the phone, no, but he's like a teammate.

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"He's a guy I really respect for the way he always talks about me. Even his wife or my wife, my girlfriend, they still respect each other and they're both Argentinian.

"What am I going to say about Messi? A great guy who does great things for football."

Blaugrana legend Messi has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer or a fairy tale reunion with Barca, who he left amid well-documented financial difficulties at Camp Nou in August 2021.< /p>

Ronaldo's future looks unlikely to stay with United, although he has suggested he would like to end his playing career at the age of 40.

“I want to play two more years, three more years. So two or three years maximum,” he continued.

"I want to finish at 40. I think 40 will be a good age... But I don't know, I don't know the future.

"Sometimes you plan one thing for your life and as I've said many times, life is dynamic. You never know what's going to happen."