Patrice Evra says Cristiano Ronaldo will be “angry” heading into the World Cup as he will want to prove he is still the best player on the planet.
Qatar is expected to be the superstar’s final bow on the big stage with the 37-year-old telling Piers Morgan in his controversial interview that he plans to retire at around 40. Portugal’s campaign kicks off on Thursday when they take on Ghana in Group F with Uruguay and South Korea to come next week.
Ronaldo missed his country’s 4-0 warm-up friendly win over Nigeria last Thursday due to a stomach bug but was seen training with his countrymen this week after touching down in Qatar. Having also missed the final two Manchester United games before the break due to illness, the attacker will not have played for two-and-a-half weeks by the time Portugal line up against Ghana.
READ MORE: World Cup offers opportunity for forgotten Manchester United player
By then, Argentina and Lionel Messi will have faced Saudi Arabia in their opening clash, which is due to commence at 10am on Tuesday. Like Ronaldo, it is expected that this World Cup will be 35-year-old Messi’s last.
With it being the final chance for either great to lift the ultimate prize, ex-United defender Evra says both players will be determined to come out on top. Speaking to Sky Sports at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, Evra said: “I think they’re both going to have a great World Cup.
“Messi, his team is ready to die for him, they really want him to win the World Cup. Cristiano has had surrounding him a lot of talk. He will want to prove he is still the best player in the world.
“So I think we will have two angry legends, because they are the real legends. I think both of them will have an amazing tournament.” Ronaldo’s future at United beyond the World Cup is unknown following his outburst last week.
The forward aimed a number of criticisms at the club, saying he felt “betrayed” and that he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. United are understood to be considering sacking Ronaldo over a breach of contract as a result.
READ NEXT:
