It had been quite some time since Sepp Blatter said anything inflammatory and controversial, at least by the FIFA president's own dastardly standards.
It only seemed right, then, when Blatter chose to impersonate and patronize world superstar Cristiano Ronaldo last week during a private speaking event at the prestigious Oxford Union.
The question that steered the 77-year-old Swiss down a slippery slope was a very popular, yet simple one: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
Blatter not only spurned Ronaldo in stating his preference for Messi, but then took a dig at Ronaldo, citing that "one has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other."
Rather than simply assessing the two players for their on-field merits and abilities, which he initially tries to do, Blatter opens up a passageway for us to take a look into his mind.
First, his assessment of what makes Messi a great footballer:
"They are both exceptional players but they are totally different and football is about the difference of stars, because Lionel Messi is a good boy who every mother and father would like to have at home.
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"He's a good man, he's very fast, he's not exuberant, he's playing well, he's dancing, he's a kind man, he's really good, he's a good boy. And that's what makes him so popular and naturally he will always get a lot of votes because he is this nice man, and he plays well and scores goals."
Note to self: Being a nice person will help me score goals at a record-breaking pace. Thanks for the tip, Sepp.
Only to outdo himself and the hairdresser comment, the president of football's world governing body then proceeded to perform a physical impersonation of Ronaldo when he stood from his chair and claimed, "the other one is like a commander on the field of play," while walking around and motioning his arms in a robot-like manner.
Blatter, probably only just realizing after the fact that — 1) his actions would be viewed as disrespectful, and 2) he looked like a fool — quickly backtracked in delivering Ronaldo a backhanded compliment, saying, "This is the other side of football and that's good to have such commanders on the field also. Because you don't have the same attitude, and that gives life to football and one has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other, but that doesn't matter."
Ronaldo has since responded to Blatter's comments through his official Facebook page.
Blatter then responded on Tuesday through his official Twitter account about Ronaldo taking offense to his comments.
No word yet on whether or not the two can play nice later this year when Blatter hands out the 2013 Ballon d'Or to its rightful winner. Ronaldo has been one of three finalists for the award each of the last two years, finishing second to Lionel Messi both times.
Sepp always gets his way — even when he's a jerk about it — doesn't he?
