10 lucky players who have played with both Messi and Ronaldo
By Lee Seng Foo5 months ago
The football rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as the greatest individual duel in football history. Prior to playing for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer and Al-Nassr in the Roshn Saudi League respectively, they pushed each other to extraordinary heights for more than 15 years, redefining what was thought possible in the modern game.
While millions of people grew up watching them from afar, only a rare handful can boast a far more intimate connection: the privilege of being team-mates with both superstars at club level. Here are the fortunate few.
Máximo Quiles continued his remarkable 2026 Moto3 campaign after claiming victory at the Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Spaniard beat Álvaro Carpe and David Muñoz to the chequered flag for his fourth win of the season.
His previous victories came in Brazil, Jerez and France, while he also finished runner-up in Thailand and the United States after narrowly losing out to David Almansa and Guido Pini respectively.
Those six consecutive top-two finishes gave Quiles 140 points after the opening six Grands Prix, the highest total at this stage of a Moto3 season.
He surpassed the previous record of 127 points jointly held by Brad Binder (2016) and Luis Salom (2013).
Quiles, who had already been tipped by several MotoGP riders as a title favourite before the season began, now holds a commanding lead in the championship standings with nearly double the tally of second-placed Adrián Fernández on 76 points.
Álex Márquez and Johann Zarco were both conscious following separate high-speed crashes during the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix.
The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider crashed heavily during Sunday’s race after colliding with Pedro Acosta, while LCR Honda rider Zarco was caught in a frightening incident after the first restart, becoming trapped beneath Francesco Bagnaia’s bike.
According to Gresini Racing, Márquez suffered a small fracture to the C7 vertebra in his neck as well as a broken right collarbone, while LCR Honda confirmed that Zarco sustained ligament and cartilage damage to his knee, in addition to a small fracture near his ankle.
Despite the severity of the incidents, both riders later reassured fans through social media updates.
“Everything under control. I couldn't be in better hands. Huge thanks to everyone for your concern and for the loving messages I'm receiving,” Márquez posted.
“I’ll keep you updated, but I just wanted to reassure you. I'll be sleeping tonight at the hospital as they want to keep me under observation, and then we'll see,” Zarco said in an Instagram video.
The race itself was won by Fabio Di Giannantonio despite suffering a bruised arm during the first red flag.
Fermín Aldeguer and Bagnaia were later promoted to second and third respectively after provisional runner-up Joan Mir, along with four other riders, received tyre pressure penalties.
Rafael Nadal dismissed reports linking him with a future bid to become president of Real Madrid.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, a lifelong supporter of the Spanish giants, took to social media on Wednesday to clarify his position amid growing speculation surrounding the club’s upcoming presidential elections.
“I have read reports that link me to possible candidacies for the presidency of Real Madrid. I would like to clarify that these reports are not true,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
His statement came a day after current president Florentino Pérez officially confirmed that elections would be held at the club.
He leído informaciones que me relacionan con posibles candidaturas a la presidencia del Real Madrid. Me gustaría aclarar que estas informaciones no son ciertas.
Despite distancing himself from the rumours, Nadal has never hidden his interest in leading Real Madrid one day, although he has consistently voiced support for Pérez’s leadership.
"Yes, I would like to be president of Real Madrid," Nadal said in 2023.
"But at the moment there's nothing to say, because we have the best possible president. Afterwards, life takes many turns and you have to consider whether you are capable of certain things."
Since stepping away from professional tennis in 2024, Nadal has increasingly expanded his involvement in various sporting and business ventures, including the E1 Series powerboat championship and padel.
Jannik Sinner’s rise from elite contender to near-unstoppable force has transformed the ATP Tour into a weekly battle for survival.
Since the start of the 2024 season, the four-time Grand Slam champion has built an aura few players outside the peak years of the Big Three have managed to replicate. His consistency, relentless baseline pressure and composure under the biggest moments have turned him into the benchmark of men’s tennis.
With a 7-3 record across their last 10 meetings, Carlos Alcaraz has been the one player consistently capable of matching the Italian blow for blow. But with the Spaniard currently out injured, the rest of the ATP field has often looked helpless against Sinner’s dominance.
Following the 2026 Madrid Open, here are the last 10 players not named Carlos Alcaraz to beat Jannik Sinner on the ATP Tour.
The Czech produced one of the biggest wins of his young career in Doha, snapping Sinner’s 22-match winning streak with a 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 victory. Although Menšík later lost to Arthur Fils in the semi-finals, the win over Sinner firmly established him as one of the ATP Tour’s most dangerous rising stars.
Djokovic rolled back the years in Melbourne, proving experience and tactical precision can still trouble the world No. 1. The Serbian recovered from a set down twice to secure a dramatic 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory, ending his four-match losing streak against Sinner and reminding the tour of his enduring threat at the majors.
Tallon Griekspoor (2025 Shanghai Masters Round of 32)
Griekspoor’s victory came under unfortunate circumstances after Sinner retired midway through the match due to physical discomfort. Still, the Dutchman deserved credit for matching Sinner’s intensity early on and applying consistent pressure from the baseline before the Italian was forced to stop.
Sinner entered Halle riding a 66-match winning streak against players ranked outside the world’s top 20 and appeared on course for another routine victory after taking the opening set. But Bublik flipped the match and stormed back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 before eventually capturing his second Halle title.
Andrey Rublev (2024 Montreal Masters quarter-finals)
Rublev produced one of his cleanest attacking displays of the season to overpower Sinner in Canada. The Russian’s 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory also snapped a five-match losing streak against the Italian in their head-to-head rivalry.
Medvedev’s tactical discipline and defensive resilience frustrated Sinner across a gruelling five-set battle on Centre Court. The Russian absorbed pace superbly and forced the Italian into uncomfortable exchanges en route to a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 victory that denied Sinner a maiden Wimbledon semi-final appearance.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (2024 Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals)
Tsitsipas rediscovered some of his best clay-court form during his run to a third Monte Carlo title. His 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 semi-final win over Sinner proved the toughest match of his tournament and was also the only set he dropped all week.
Players to defeat Jannik Sinner in 2024:
🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz
🇬🇷 Stefanos Tsitsipas
End of list. pic.twitter.com/FRjs8cTvtT
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 13, 2024
Novak Djokovic (2023 ATP Finals)
After losing to Sinner during the group stage in Turin, Djokovic responded emphatically in the final. The Serbian delivered a clinical 6-3, 6-3 victory to secure a record seventh ATP Finals crown, once again showcasing his unmatched ability to adapt tactically over the course of a tournament.
Shelton’s explosive left-handed game overwhelmed Sinner in one of the defining wins of the American’s breakout season. After dropping the opening set, Shelton roared back to claim a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory.
Zverev survived a gruelling late-night battle against Sinner under the lights at Flushing Meadows. Relying heavily on his serve and backhand consistency, the German outlasted the Italian 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a match lasting nearly five hours. In hindsight, it now looks like one of the final stretches before Sinner evolved into the ATP Tour’s dominant force.
