Controversial Italy forward Mario Balotelli has mocked Cristiano Ronaldo over comparisons with Lionel Messi following the latter's brace against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
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Balotelli seemingly watched the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash between FC Barcelona and the Reds on TV, and used Instagram to update his followers on the encounter, with Messi netting his side's second and third goals give Barca a comfortable 3-0 lead ahead of the second leg at Anfield next week Tuesday.
After the Argentine scored his free-kick from around 35 yards out to make it 3-0, it appears that Balotelli could not resist aiming a jibe at Messi's longstanding rival, Ronaldo.
"For the love of football, please do not compare Messi to the No. 7 of Juventus (Ronaldo) anymore," he wrote, as translated from Italian, in an Instagram Story.
Balotelli: 'Please, for the sake of football, don't ever compare Messi to the #7 of Juventus.' ?? [ig: mb459] pic.twitter.com/f7njHyXPVj
— amadí (@amadoit__) May 1, 2019
Messi's second goal in the fixture saw him equal Ronaldo's record of 600 strikes in his club career, while he has now also scored 12 times in this season's Champions League.
The 31-year-old also took his tally at the UCL semi-final stage to six goals, while Ronaldo leads this ranking with 13 strikes.
Read: Klopp Reacts To Messi Free-Kick
The Portuguese superstar also remains ahead of his longstanding rival when it comes to overall goals in Europe's elite club competition, sitting on 126 strikes while Messi took his tally to 110 goals on Wednesday night.
Do you agree with Balotelli that people must stop comparing Ronaldo to Messi? Have your say in the comments section below.
