‘I don’t hate Messi,’ says Argentina star with Cristiano Ronaldo tattoo on her leg

Argentina's forward Yamila Rodriguez shows her left leg tattooed with the portraits of late Argentine football star Diego Maradona (top) and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo during a training session. Photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP

Argentina's forward Yamila Rodriguez shows her left leg tattooed with the portraits of late Argentine football star Diego Maradona (top) and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo during a training session. Photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP

Published Jul 26, 2023

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Argentina's Women's World Cup striker Yamila Rodriguez has defended having a tattoo of Cristiano Ronaldo on her leg, saying: "I don't hate Messi."

The 25-year-old faced flak on social media from fans back home after they spotted the ink on her left shin of Portugal's Ronaldo -- the great rival of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

"Please, enough, I'm not doing well. At what point did I say I'm anti-Messi?" Rodriguez wrote on social media in response.

"Messi is our great captain in the national team, but the fact that I say that my inspiration and my idol is CR7 (Ronaldo) does not mean that I hate Messi. Enough, it's tiring and it hurts."

Rodriguez, who came on as a substitute in Monday's 1-0 World Cup defeat to Italy, has numerous other tattoos, including one of Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

AFP