Cristiano Ronaldo has always had the unerring support of his two sisters Katia and Elma throughout his career - and both are not shy when it comes to mocking Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo has millions of passionate fans all over the world – but none of them come close to matching his sisters for ferocity.
Ronaldo’s career at the very top of the game has been built upon a unique talent, a serious work ethic and a legendary self belief. Every step of the way, from the early days at Manchester United to the present day at Al-Nassr, he has been cheered on by his family.
As well as an older brother called Hugo, Ronaldo has two older sisters – Elma and Katia. Both are fiercely loyal and completely unafraid to make their feelings known on his career – and his rivals.
Ronaldo’s own fantastic and lengthy career has been mirrored by Lionel Messi’s, with both superstar players peaking at similar points. They have been constantly pitted against each other, both on and off the pitch, with the age-old greatest of all time debate raging on and on.
While football fans have different opinions on who is the modern-day GOAT, it is safe to say that Ronaldo’s sisters are in agreement. They are just as fierce in their dislike of the Argentina legend as they are in their love of their brother.
A good example of their loyalty came in December 2020 when Messi’s Barcelona played Ronaldo’s Juventus in the Champions League. It wasn’t a great evening for Messi, who ended up on the losing side as Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot in a 3-0 win for Juve at the Camp Nou.
Elma Aveiro was quick to make hay while the sun shined, writing an Instagram post in praise of her brother while mocking Messi. The post: "My king. Greatest of all time. Pride of my life," and was accompanied by a mocked-up drawing of Messi bowing down to Ronaldo.
Katia Aveiro tried to one-up her sister by mocking Messi when Ronaldo was not even involved a few years later. Back in August 2022, Messi was being celebrated for scoring a stunning overhead kick for PSG against Clermont.
Cue the response from the Ronaldo fan army online. One page decided to mock Messi's goal while comparing it to Ronaldo’s iconic bicycle kick for Real Madrid against Juventus in the Champions League in 2018.
The post on Instagram read: "One is a handgun and the other is a bicycle. One is in the French Championship against Clermont and the other is in the knockout stage of the Champions League against Juventus.
"In one, the player puts his hands on the pitch, the other foot also and it would barely be possible to put a mattress between his body and the field, while the other has his body completely off the pitch and the space between his body and the field. It's so much that the player in the top image would fit and if he hesitated, there would still be a little left hahaha. Never compare…" Katia Aveiro liked the post before commenting on it with a series of clapping emojis.
The most frequent area of conflict between Ronaldo and Messi has been the Ballon d’Or. Unfortunately for Ronaldo fans, he trails Messi five to eight in that arena, which dents their argument about him being the GOAT. But they have an argument for that too.
Last year, Messi was awarded his record-extending eighth gong, while Ronaldo wasn’t even among the 30 players nominated. After Messi won, a Ronaldo fan page posted a photo of the Portuguese forward with his trophies alongside the captioned "Earned, not given”. Katia then replied to the post with clapping emojis.
Ronaldo is now 39 years old. Messi is 36. But even when they eventually hang up their boots, you can be sure the debate will never die – and that Ronaldo’s sisters will be there fighting for their brother.
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