Cristiano Ronaldo has gone viral after hilariously pinching one of his great rival Lionel Messi’s famous phrases during a clip on his new YouTube channel.
Ronaldo, launched his YouTube channel last month, and broke a world record by reaching 15million subscribers within the first 24 hours.
He has already sat down for an interview with his former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand, while he has also uploaded clips of himself alongside his long-term partner Georgina Rodriguez.
In a recent upload with Rodriguez, the pair were seen giggling before Ronaldo uttered the line ‘Que Miras bobo’, which translates to ‘what are you looking at, fool?’
And there was a reason behind it, as those are the exact same words that Messi used back in 2022 following Argentina’s World Cup quarter-final victory over the Netherlands.
Cristiano Ronaldo has imitated an iconic Lionel Messi line on his new YouTube channel
Lionel Messi famously asked ex-Man United star Wout Weghorst ‘what are you looking at, fool?’ following Argentina’s ill-tempered win over the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup
Messi and Weghorst clashed after a quarter-final that saw 17 yellow cards dished out
The ill-tempered game saw 17 yellow cards handed out by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, with players from each team confronting one another on multiple occasions.
Argentina had looked to be cruising to victory when they led 2-0 heading into the closing stages, but ex-Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst came off the bench to score twice and force extra time.
The South American nation eventually prevailed on penalties thanks to the heroics of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but the controversy continued after the game.
During a post-match interview, Messi caught the eye of Weghorst and after believing the forward had been provoking him during the game he shouted ‘what are you looking at, fool?’
The memorable moment instantly went viral, with many shocked to see the usually mild-mannered Messi losing his temper with an opponent.
Weghorst tried to play down the spat afterwards, insisting he had only wanted to show Messi ‘respect’ after a hard-fought contest.
‘I fought against Messi and there were a few moments between us,’ Weghorst told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf.
‘I think he didn’t like it and that it surprised him. But I have a lot of respect for him. He is among the greatest of all time.
‘I wanted to show my respect for Messi after the game, but he didn’t want it.
‘I think he was still angry with me. Oh well, I see it as a great compliment that he knows my name now. Then at least I did something right.’
Ronaldo has copied Messi off the pitch and appears to still want to emulate his achievements on it
Messi won the World Cup in 2022, and Ronaldo has not ruled out going to a sixth World Cup in two years’ time
Ronaldo has now copied Messi’s iconic line, and he appears to still have the desire to emulate him on the pitch by winning the World Cup before he hangs up his boots.
Messi led Argentina to glory two years ago after they scraped past the Netherlands, and Ronaldo seems to have his sights set on playing at a sixth World Cup in 2026.
He will be 41 by the time the tournament gets underway in the USA, Mexico and Canada, but has hinted that he still feels he will be playing at the highest level for years to come.
Addressing his retirement plans earlier this week, the Portuguese superstar told reporters: ‘When the time comes, I’ll move on,’ Ronaldo said. ‘It won’t be a difficult decision to make.
‘If I feel like I’m no longer contributing anything, I’ll be the first to leave.’
