Lionel Messi featured in Lyon's latest transfer announcement to take a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo following his comments about Ligue 1 and the Saudi Pro League.
Lyon confirmed the signing of Thiago Almada on Wednesday, with the former MLS star joining from Brazilian side Botafogo.
The deal has been described as a 'free loan' until June 30, 2025.
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Almada is a fully-fledged Argentina international with 6 caps, and 2 goals. The 23-year-old has already picked up a World Cup winner's medal after being included in the squad for Qatar in 2022.
Lyon announced the signing with a brilliant social media video that featured fellow Argentinian Nicolás Tagliafico and a hilarious cameo from Messi. Well, kind of.
During the video, a text message from 'Lionel' popped up with a not-so-subtle dig at a certain 'Cristiano'.
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The text read: “Don’t listen to Cristiano, Ligue 1 is incredible.”
This comes after the Al-Nassr star doubled down on his claim that the Saudi Pro League is a more competitive and challenging league compared to Ligue 1.
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Speaking at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards last month, Ronaldo explained that the temperature in Saudi Arabia was a key factor in forming his opinion.
He claimed: "The French league? Of course [it is worse]. I don't say that because I play there [in Saudi Arabia]. They [people] should go there and play there, to see. To run in 38, 39, 40 degrees and sprint a few times, just to see how they're going to be. Don't believe in my words - go there and see.
"Only in France is PSG, the rest is finished.
"It's my opinion. In France, it is only PSG, sorry. The other ones compete, okay. But PSG is the strongest - nobody competes with them.
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"They have better players, they are the club with more money. This is a fact, and I don't understand why people are so surprised."
Following Lyon's announcement, fans online took to social media to share their views.
One fan wrote: "This wins transfer announcement of the year already and we are only in January."
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However, Ronaldo fans weren't too impressed with Lyon's dig at the former Real Madrid and Man United star.
"Ronaldo is clearly rent-free in all these clubs' heads, they know he was right deep down," another fan commented.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ligue 1, Saudi Pro League, Lyon, Transfer News
Tom Jenkins