World Cup 2026: Players play for him – Petit identifies main difference between Ronaldo, Messi

Former France international, Emmanuel Petit, has identified the main difference between Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Petit, Argentine players play for Messi, while Portuguese players don’t play for Ronaldo.

He also believes that it will be Portugal manager Roberto Martinez’s responsibility to address Ronaldo’s situation with his teammates.

Speaking during the latest episode of the How To Win The World Cup podcast on talkSPORT,  Petit said, “Argentina.. the players they play for Messi. I think the Portuguese players, they don’t play for Cristiano Ronaldo, and this is for me the main difference with Argentina and Messi.

“So, it’s up to Martinez, the manager, to manage that.”

Messi has three goals to his name at the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament, while Ronaldo is yet to score a goal.