I’m playing Ronaldo today and Leo Messi could be next.. it’s not bad for a Ki-wee boy who grew up in Old Kilpatrick
McGlinchey relishing battle with planet’s two best players
MICHAEL McGLINCHEY will square up to Cristiano Ronaldo in New Zealand’s final Confederations Cup game today.
And the Scot is set to use the meeting as preparation for a potential showdown with Lionel Messi in his bid to return to Russia next summer.
Kiwi cap McGlinchey admitted it doesn’t get any better – or harder – than facing the world’s two best players.
But that’s the scenario the 30-year-old could face in the space of just five months as he aims to fulfil his World Cup dream.
Former Celtic and Scotland Under-21 kid McGlinchey has featured for the All Whites in their two Confederations Cup defeats to hosts Russia and Mexico in midweek.
New Zealand now take on Ronaldo’s European champions in St Petersburg’s impressive Krestovsky Stadium where they played Russia in front of a sellout crowd in the tournament opener.
And for McGlinchey it’s all about making sure they are ready for their World Cup play-off in November against the fifth-placed team in South America’s qualifying table.
The problem for New Zealand is that Messi’s Argentina currently occupy that position after a poor start in their road to Russia 2018.
The Kiwis must first beat the Solomon Islands in September but will be odds-on to eliminate the Oceania minnows and set up the stiffer test in November.
Two-times champions Argentina are fighting to avoid missing out on the World Cup finals for the first time since 1970.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side trail fourth-placed Chile by a point with four matches left and, without the suspended Messi, crashed to a 2-0 defeat in Bolivia in their last qualifier.
But Messi’s four-match ban for swearing at an assistant has since been overturned by FIFA and the Barcelona star can now return when qualifying resumes in August with a clash against Uruguay, followed by matches against Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador.
And McGlinchey, currently playing for Wellington Phoenix in Australia’s A-League, said: “Ronaldo first then Messi – easy, eh?
“Seriously, it would be a great experience to play against Ronaldo in the Confederations Cup and then Messi if it happens.
“We won the OFC Nations Cup to qualify for the Confederations Cup and could play the fifth-placed team in South America’s qualifying table for a place at the World Cup.
“At the moment Argentina are sitting in fifth and to be honest, we’re hoping it’s someone else because we think we could have a go at Ecuador or Colombia.
“It’s going to be tough regardless of who it is because South American teams are all top notch but Argentina are particularly strong.
“To be fair, even if we didn’t reach the World Cup but came up against Messi
then facing him would be an awesome experience in itself. There’s a few games to go so Argentina still have time do dig themselves out of it.
“We qualified for South Africa in 2010 but we played Bahrain. We faced a team from the Asian qualifiers and then CONCACAF four years ago when Mexico were our opponents.
“It has changed every year and this time it’s South America which is the toughest and it wouldn’t come any tougher than Argentina.
“But my aim is to get back to the World Cup and hopefully we can do that. We can use the experience of playing Portugal as preparation for whoever we play.
“We have the small matter of Ronaldo in our final match. We will try to take the game to them and the fact they have something to play for means they will use their big boys.
“I will need to keep my eye on Bruno Alves if he plays as I read that Rangers have signed him. But Ronaldo is the one we all admire.
“He is the best, the standout player in the world. All the boys are excited to play against him and hopefully he doesn’t stick a hat-trick in against us.
“It will be an experience just to be on the same pitch as the guy. He is the best in the world. I haven’t seen him live before so I’m looking forward to it.
“He’s a machine. He won the Champions League and was playing against Latvia a couple of weeks later.
“He just keeps going and will be looking at us as a target to get more goals. We will do our best to stop him.”
McGlinchey was born Down Under while father Norrie was playing in New Zealand but returned when he was just a year old and raised in Old Kilpatrick.
He started off at Celtic when Martin O’Neill persuaded him to snub Manchester United and sign for his boyhood heroes.
But after just one top-team appearance he slipped out of the picture under Gordon Strachan and moved to Aussie side Central Coast Mariners.
He returned to Scotland for a brief loan spell at Motherwell before settling in New Zealand at Wellington.
McGlinchey travelled to the 2010 World Cup but was an unused sub as the Kiwis earned three draws against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.
And he is desperate to perform on that stage next year, with the Confederations Cup giving him a glimpse of what Russia 2018 will be like.
McGlinchey said: “I was on the bench in South Africa as I was new to the All Whites but we did well in the tournament and got three draws.
“Our main goal is to try to get to next year’s World Cup and the Confederations Cup has been a good test. We’ve shown we can compete. “We have nothing to lose against Portugal and hopefully we can take something but we can’t qualify, so we’ll use it as experience.
“The tournament itself has been superb. We played in front of the top crowd – there was 50,000 at the first game – and it’s a good warm-up tournament for the World Cup.
“Everyone in Russia has been really friendly and welcoming.
“They have done really well and look well equipped to host the World Cup next summer.
“I’m loving life in New Zealand. I’ve enjoyed my time in the A-League and hope it continues.”
Ronaldo is standout player in the world and we are all excited to face him McGLINCHEY