The Brazilian opened up on his respect for Cristiano Ronaldo and revealed how his Al Nassr teammate paid him a surprise visit during his birthday party.
Anderson Talisca prefers Cristiano Ronaldo more than Lionel Messi because of his strong work ethic.
Talisca has had the rare opportunity to share the pitch with both players this year. In January, the Brazilian faced off against Messi in an exhibition match between the Riyadh All-Stars XI and Paris Saint-Germain. He has also spent the second half of the 2022/23 season playing alongside Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“I am more Cristiano Ronaldo than Messi,” Talisca said on the ‘Out of the Game’ podcast on Saturday.
“Where he got to and where he is… Of course, he has the gift of God, but he is a monster. He works hard and is very dedicated. He worked for that what it is today.”
Talisca is one of the Al Nassr players closest to Ronaldo, but the attacker admitted that he did not invite his new teammate to his 29th birthday party when the Portuguese first arrived in Saudi Arabia, implying he was too shy to ask. The party took place within CR7’s first two days at Al Nassr.
“When I went to Benfica [in 2014], I signed with Jorge Mendes, who is his manager. We met at that time,” Talisca revealed.
“He came to my birthday with the two days at the club, but I didn’t invite him. I found out later that it was Eloise, my wife, and Carol who, with Ricardo Regufe [Ronaldo’s manager] made this surprise.
“Two days into the club I was going to invite him and he was going to say: ‘Are you crazy?'” The former Benfica and Besiktas attacking midfielder added.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for the hierarchy of players. I’ve always been like that and I’m always in my corner.”