Lionel Messi Highly Praises Cristiano Ronaldo As He Talks on Rivalry
Lionel Messi was interviewed by Ballon d'Or France Football about his time competing with Cristiano Ronaldo. The two have been competing for the Ballon d'Or award for years, and the Argentine star recognized the sporting battle he had with the Portuguese star.
Lionel Messi: "It was spectacular and a great memory for everyone who enjoys soccer."
Messi mentioned his competitiveness, which drove him to win Ballon d'Ors, the same characteristic as Ronaldo. He recognizes that the two have been at the top for more than ten years, which he acknowledges is not easy to do. What some fans enjoyed seeing was the humility of Messi brushing off the comment of 'winning the battle' against Ronaldo, in terms of Ballon d'Or wins.
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This is similar to what Ronaldo said about Messi in the 2019 Champions League Draw. Messi and Ronaldo were sitting next to each other, and when discussing the 'battle' between the two, the Portuguese striker mentioned the longevity of the two at the top.
How Many Times Have Messi and Ronaldo Faced Off?
Messi and Ronaldo played 37 games against each other throughout their careers. Messi won 17 games against Ronaldo. Ronaldo beat Messi 11 times, and the two drew nine games against each other.
They faced off three times when Messi was at FC Barcelona and Ronaldo was at Manchester United. Ronaldo then joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. That began an era of memorable 'El Clásico' matches that would define league titles and Ballon d'Ors.
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The two played each other in 30 'El Clásico' matches. The last Barcelona vs Madrid match with Messi and Ronaldo playing was in 2018, where the match ended 2-2 at the Camp Nou.
The Last Time Messi and Ronaldo faced off
The last time Messi played against Ronaldo in Europe, it was a match between FC Barcelona and Juventus in the 2020-21 Champions League group stage. Juventus won 3-0 at the Camp Nou, with Ronaldo scoring a brace.
Messi and Ronaldo met again in 2023, when the Argentine played for PSG and went to Saudi Arabia to play the Riyadh All Stars. Ronaldo had just recently joined Al Nassr, and this friendly match marked his first game in part of the Saudi Arabian league.
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The French champions won 5-4, but the game is remembered as potentially the last time Messi and Ronaldo played against each other on the same pitch.
Last year, in another friendly match, Messi's Inter Miami took on Ronaldo's Al Nassr. Ronaldo did not play in the game due to injury, and Messi started on the bench. Al Nassr got the better of Inter Miami as they won 6-0 at the Kingdom Arena. Messi came on in the 83rd minute.
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