Morocco’s Boufal Reflects on World Cup Victory That Left Ronaldo in Tears

The Atlas Lions had beaten Portugal (1-0) to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. A historic victory that dashed the hopes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who could not hold back his tears at the end of the match. Sofiane Boufal, one of the architects of Morocco’s exceptional run in this competition, says he appreciated seeing the Portuguese star cry after this defeat.

"With all the respect I owe to Ronaldo, I appreciated seeing him cry more than seeing us cry," he said on the Qatari sports channel Alkass. And he added: "I prefer Messi to Ronaldo." His wish, he said, is to play for FC Barcelona, the Argentine star’s former club.