 "Cristiano Ronaldo with Lionel Messi when they played in La Liga. Image: Reuters")
Lionel Messi has opened up about his relationship with longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that they are not really friends. The Argentine legend’s comments came during an interview with DSports, where he clarified that their lack of closeness is not due to any personal issue but because they hardly meet each other.
Messi, however, said that there is mutual admiration and respect between the two. Messi and Ronaldo have been rivals since their early days in football, especially after the latter moved to Real Madrid in La Liga. The rivalry grew as both players fought hard on the field for their respective teams across several years.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level. The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We’re not friends obviously because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect,” Messi said.
These remarks have come after Ronaldo had made similar comments about Messi just a few weeks ago. The Portuguese superstar had said, “I have affection for Messi, although we have been rivals for many years… I have affection for him because he always respected me a lot.”
Messi magic for Inter Miami
Messi scored a stunning free-kick to help Inter Miami beat Porto 2-1 in their Club World Cup Group A match on Friday. It was a historic win because this is the first time a CONCACAF team has beaten a European side in an official FIFA tournament. After a goalless draw against Egypt’s Al Ahly, this victory was much needed for Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo recently won the UEFA Nations League after Portugal beat Spain on penalties following a 2-2 draw. Ronaldo secured the equaliser in the match to help his team level the score in the 61st minute. Portugal eventually won 5-3 on penalties. Ronaldo is not playing the ongoing Club World Cup as his team Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the 32-team event.