Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that it pains him to see his
Barcelona rival Lionel Messi in tears following defeat in the Copa America
Centenario final and that he hopes the Argentine rethinks his international
retirement decision.
Argentina
captain Messi made the stunning decision to step away from international
football in emotional comments made straight after he had missed in the penalty
shootout as his country lost to Chile -- the third successive summer in which
the Argentinians have been beaten in a major final.
In widely
reported comments made to the Argentine press and picked up, Ronaldo said he had not liked seeing Messi so upset and he hoped that Messi bounced back from the disappointment.
"It hurts
me to see Messi in tears and I hope he returns to his national team, because
they need him," Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo who also missed some high
profile penalties, most recently during Portugal's 0-0 draw against Austria in
a Euro 2016 group game, and suggested he understood what Messi was going
through.
"Messi is not used to defeats and disappointments, not even to finishing second,"
Ronaldo said. "To miss a penalty does not make you a bad person."
However, Ronaldo said that people should accept that
Messi has the right to make his own decisions over his career.
"He has
taken a difficult decision and the fans should accept it," he added.
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