Last summer will be remembered for the transfers of the two greatest soccer players of the 21st century, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During one of the most mind-boggling transfer windows ever, Lionel Messi left his childhood club Barcelona, as a result of the poor financial situation, to join Paris Saint-Germain.
The Argentine forward spent a total of 21 years at Camp Nou, including his time as a member of the La Masia academy. Meanwhile, his arch-rival, Cristiano Ronaldo transferred from Juventus to Manchester United, i.e. returned to the squad where he played until 2009 before opting to join Real Madrid.
Almost seven months later, neither of the two has managed to help his respective side reach the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals. This is the second season in a row that the Portuguese veteran and the Argentine ace have been knocked out in the last 16.
Nicolas Anelka brands Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as finished
As a result, former French international Nicolas Anelka believes that two legends made the wrong decisions to switch teams in summer 2021 and has suggested that it would be the right time for both of them to decide to hang their boots.
"Their careers are finished and I think they both have to be very happy with what they have achieved in the last 15 years. They were above the others and now it is normal for them to slow down. Both of them should have been smarter.
"They should have thought about taking on a less complicated challenge because you have to make the right decisions to finish on top. I was more surprised by Messi than by Ronaldo. I thought Messi would take a walk in France, and Ronaldo would have more difficulties in England because, for me, the Premier League is the most demanding in the world", Anelka told RMC Sport.
