Lionel Messi celebrated his 37th birthday on June 24, 2024, although he may not have had much of a chance to throw a party.
The Inter Miami star is in the Copa América with Argentina and, with their next Group A match against Chile on Tuesday, June 25, Messi’s focus is very much on winning the tournament for the second consecutive edition.
Social media was flooded with posts honoring the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker, but one in particular sparked something of a diplomatic spat with fans of Messi’s old rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Jugo Mobile explains how a simple birthday message made many Ronaldo fans very angry.
Lionel Messi’s birthday: why Cristiano Ronaldo fans are angry at Guinness World Records
Messi received millions of posts on social media wishing him a happy birthday when he turned 37 on Monday, June 24, 2024.
Some were simple well wishes; others recognized the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s amazing professional achievements.
Happy birthday to Lionel Messi ?
More Ballon d’Or wins ?
Most goals scored in a calendar year ?
Post with the most likes on Instagram ? pic.twitter.com/OgWEMWnuAl– Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 24, 2024
One, from the official Guinness World Records X account, read: “Happy birthday to Lionel Messi” with a goat emoji. The post also lists three of the Argentine captain’s achievements: the most Ballon d’Ors won, the most goals scored in a calendar year, and the most liked post on Instagram.
Naturally, Ronaldo fans were not happy, and not just because of the suggestion that Messi, not the all-time men’s international goalscorer, could be the GOAT of world football. Many of them were simply angry that the GWR account had not wished Ronaldo a happy birthday.
When an X user asked why Ronaldo hadn’t received the same treatment, GWR responded: “because it’s not his birthday.”
because it’s not his birthday
– Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 24, 2024
Presumably, Ronaldo’s followers were referring to his birthday on February 5 and the fact that the GWR account failed to acknowledge his special day. It seems that forgetting this date was almost unforgivable, regardless of how many times Guinness World Records has honored Ronaldo’s greatest professional achievements.
“Thanks to the Guinness World Records. It’s always nice to be recognized as someone who has broken world records. Let’s keep trying to set even higher numbers! ??”
Congratulations @Christian!
Full story ? https://t.co/WTcHcOZSoZ pic.twitter.com/FQ5X0zM6Wu– Guinness World Records (@GWR) September 3, 2021
Is Cristiano Ronaldo older than Lionel Messi? The era of football superstars
Ronaldo is approximately two and a half years older than Messi.
Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, making him exactly seven years older than Neymar, while Messi was born on June 24, 1987. That means Ronaldo is 39 years old, while Messi is 37.
Both players made their senior football debut at the age of 16: Ronaldo in 2002 and Messi a year later.
