Lionel Messi has been accused of pulling off a ‘Ronaldo chop’ during Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Napoli on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The Argentine superstar found himself in a tricky situation as two defenders charged towards him just outside the opposition penalty box.
However, Messi managed to backheel the ball back through his legs and turn sharply, leaving the two opponents reeling.
The chance came to nothing for Barcelona in the end, but the Champions League Twitter account named the move their ’Skill of the Day’.
But while some heaped praise on the Barca legend, others pointed out in the replies that he may have copied the move from his former Real Madrid nemesis.
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“Great Ronaldo Chop,” one wrote.
A second asked: “Doesn't Ronaldo do this?”
“Ronaldo fans coming out of their caves,” a third jibed.
“Y’all will fight me now but that’s the Ronaldo chop, just done by a short man.
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One stuck up for Messi though, insisting his was far more effective than Ronaldo’s attempts.
They replied: “Cristiano does a lot of chop chop like this but all are useless. Messi does once and it fooled 2 opponents.”
The ‘Ronaldo chop’ is a skill that has been around in football for a long time, but was only really made famous by the Juventus superstar.
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It has since inspired WikiHow pages and numerous YouTube videos into how to execute the trickery and when best to use it in a match.
Tuesday’s 1-1 draw leaves Barcelona and Napoli finely poised for the second leg which will take place at the Nou Camp on March 18.
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Champions League
- Barcelona FC
- Napoli FC
- Raheem Sterling
- YouTube
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