‘We're not friends, obviously' – Lionel Messi gives rare glimpse into his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo
LIONEL MESSI declared 'we're not friends, obviously' as he gave a rare glimpse into his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The veteran rivals are regarded as arguably the two best players to ever grace the beautiful game.
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And their battle for legendary status has now been ongoing for over 20 years.
Messi, 37, currently stars for MLS side Inter Miami after a dazzling career for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.
Ronaldo, 40, continues to tear things up for Saudi outfit Al-Nassr following glory at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
And the pair boast 19 league titles between them, as well as nine Champions Leagues and seven international trophies.
As far as Ballon d'Ors go, Messi leads Ronaldo by eight of the individual honours to five.
But despite their rivalry on the pitch, the pair have sought to play down reports of a grudge off it too.
Ronaldo previously declared he 'admired' Messi's career while admitting son Cristiano Jr adored the Argentine's skills.
Meanwhile, Messi believes they have enjoyed a 'great battle' and 'deserve credit' for leading the 'golden era' of football.
Now, the World Cup winner has given a deeper glimpse into his relationship with his Euro-clinching counterpart.
Admitting he's 'not friends' with Ronaldo, Messi told DSports: '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.
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'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.'
Ronaldo also had his say on Messi earlier this year.
He declared: 'I have a good relationship with Messi. It was a healthy rivalry, we got along.'
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