Iran striker Ali Daei launched a foul-mouthed blast at the Irish football team after learning they are all that stands in the way of Cristiano Ronaldo breaking the international goalscoring record.
Ronaldo and Daei currently sit level on 109 goals going into tonight’s 2022 World Cup qualifier between Portugal and the Boys In Green.
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In a series of leaked WhatsApp messages between the two, Daei is seen growing increasingly exasperated as Ronaldo hunts down yet another milestone.
He taunts the Portuguese following his country’s exit from Euro 2020 earlier this summer but there was a sting in the tail for the former Bayern Munich and Iran frontman when Ronaldo pointed out Ireland were his next opponents.
Daei labelled Stephen Kenny’s side – who recently recorded a highly-creditable 1-1 draw with Middle Eastern powerhouse outfit Qatar along with a battling 1-0 defeat at home to Luxembourg – ‘useless bags of s**t’, as he appeared to give up all hope of Ronaldo not breaking the goals record.
Ronaldo, who is currently topping up his tan in the Algarve following his high-profile transfer to Manchester United, has already labelled Ireland as the group’s “whipping boys” in a press conference ahead of the game.
“These guys have lost two from two, have no recognisable players and are below the likes of Malta, the Vatican City and St Kitts & Nevis in the FIFA world ranking,” he told PP News.
“I don’t think it will be a problem for me to break the record against them. I can see a hat-trick on the cards.
“You know, I am a respectful person and love many Irish things. I am a big fan of the Lord of the Dance and early on in my career based a lot of my skills on Michael Flatley dance moves.
“I watch Father Ted religiously and I also love to celebrate St Patrick’s Day every year by going wild with a few bottles of agua.
“However, they have a lot to answer for when it comes to Mrs Brown’s Boys, so for that reason alone I will not be holding back on Wednesday.”
Ronaldo added: “For a while I did think Jack Grealish and Declan Rice were Irish, but then they lined up for England at the Euros so who knows what went on there?
“Either way I’m a nice person, so I will take along 25 signed shirts for the Irish players to take away and remember the day Cristiano Ronaldo broke a record against them.”
Ronaldo also confirmed he has spoken to Daei about the record, claiming the Iranian is unhappy he gets to face such easy opponents who help him pad out his stats.
The Man Utd star added: “Ali scored his goals against countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives who obviously offer a much sterner test than Ireland.
“He is upset that I get an easy ride and said he will do anything he can to stop me from getting goal 110.”
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