Al Ahly midfielder Mohamed Magdy has promised to reproduce Cristiano Ronaldo’s notorious ‘Siu’ celebration if he scores against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Both sides are set to face off in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage on June 14.
The Egyptian midfielder has brought some personal drama to his side’s first match of the tournament at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match is a part of the enlarged 32-team format FIFA Club World Cup from June 14 through July 13 in several U.S. cities.
In an interview with OnTime Sports, Magdy named the Portugal legend as his role model and revealed (via Soccer Laduma):
Award-laden powerhouse club Al Ahly will enter the tournament with a reputation for delivering phenomenal performances in cup competitions. They have won the CAF Champions League 12 times. They will be seen as strong contenders to cause trouble for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Lionel Messi recently looked back on his legendary battle with Cristiano Ronaldo as a “beautiful time” that took both of them to greater heights. Together, the pair dominated the Ballon d’Or awards over the years, from 2008 until 2023, splitting 13 between them.
Messi was undoubtedly the winner of the Ballon d’Or race, as he clinched eight awards. Their fierce competition was best seen while they played against each other in Spain. Messi tallied 672 goals and provided 303 assists on 778 appearances in Barcelona, while the Portugal legend tallied 450 goals and provided 131 assists on 438 games in Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi said, in a recent interview with the Ballon d’Or channel on X (via FlashScore):
Now, the two players have continued to play outside Europe. Lionel Messi shows up for Inter Miami, while Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr. The legendary Argentine playmaker has led the Herons to the Supporters’ Shield and the Leagues Cup. Meanwhile, his Portuguese counterpart has led Nassr to the Arab Club Champions Cup.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha’s play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian’s love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.
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