Lionel Messi has not taken long to live up to the expectations with which Casemiro arrived at Inter Miami just over a month ago.
The Brazilian already knew what the Argentine was capable of because he had suffered it as an opponent in numerous clashes both at club and international level.
But now he is enjoying it and does not hide that the past is behind him and that the present tells him he has the best footballer in history as a teammate.
“This is what it means to have Messi on your team. He showed it at the World Cup. We have to enjoy these moments because he is a player and a person who keeps making history,” he said after witnessing Eight-time Ballon D’Or holder’s latest four-goal haul against Montreal in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
“What we saw today is something we have to enjoy. We must keep supporting him and competing alongside him because he is still the best. This is what Messi continues to show the world. With him, we really are much stronger,” he added.
Behind Casemiro was his time as a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, when practically everyone had to praise the Portuguese and rank him above Messi.
In fact, Casemiro and CR7 shared a dressing room for years both at Real Madrid and at Manchester United.
However, the midfielder was clear that he did not want to end his career without playing with Messi –a dream that came true last July 22 when he decided to leave Europe to play in the United States alongside the Argentine.
Ronaldo A ‘Competitive Beast’, Says González
Flip to the other side of the global hemisphere where Alvaro González, ex-Al Nassr player, was asked during the broadcast of Racing-Elche on fiercely pro-Madrid station, Radio MARCA, about his experience sharing a locker room with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Spanish footballer crossed paths with the Portuguese star in Saudi Arabia and was able to learn first-hand what it is like to live alongside one of the greatest stars in football history.
His response was emphatic. “Honestly, and after confirming it with other teammates we’ve had in common, he’s a true phenomenon in the dressing room”, explained the former center-back –a perception that, according to him, changes radically when Cristiano steps onto the pitch.
“As soon as he goes from the dressing room to the field, he completely changes”, he assured.
For González, simply called Álvaro, the Portuguese forward is “a competitive beast” when it comes time to compete.
A Super Normal Person
Far from that image of maximum demands, Álvaro described Cristiano as a very different person in everyday life.
“Inside the dressing room he is a super normal, approachable person who helps you”, he said during the broadcast.
In fact, he especially recalled the role the Portuguese player played when he arrived.
“He helped us enormously when he arrived because of some things that were happening during that year, and he helped us with everything”, he explained.
A Special Experience
For Álvaro, getting to know that side of the Portuguese star up close was one of the great experiences he took away from his time in Saudi Arabia.
“When you experience it first-hand yourself, it’s much more beautiful”, he admitted.
The former footballer also highlighted having shared a dressing room with players of the stature of Cristiano and Messi.
“They are people, both he and Messi, who will go down in the history of sport, which is football,” he stated.
Competition In Training
During the conversation there was also room for jokes about training sessions. Asked whether he dared to “get under Ronaldo’s skin,” Álvaro did not hide: “Always”.
Of course, any tension was quickly forgotten.
“The dirty looks… afterwards we would go to the jacuzzi, have a few laughs and some humour, and everything would pass,” he said with a laugh.
Demands To Compete
Álvaro believes that competitiveness in training was also important for Ronaldo himself, especially when arriving in a different kind of football from the European one.
“He likes us to be competitive in training,” he explained.
The Portuguese wanted to maintain that high standard from Europe despite the change of setting and was clear that he had to “keep going here and keep at it because we have to carry on”, especially with one goal on the horizon: “Him, to reach one thousand goals.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: L-R: Messi, Casemiro, Ronaldo.
