10 things Lionel Messi has said about Cristiano Ronaldo over the years
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are arguably two of the finest players to have graced the game.
The two have been the epitome of consistency and sustained brilliance, and despite being on the wrong side of 30 continue scoring goals and winning accolades galore for club and country. Messi (6) and Ronaldo (5) have had a decade-long duopoly of the Ballon d'Or award, broken only by Luka Modric in 2018.
Both Messi and Ronaldo did not win a league title last season, but shone for their respective countries in their last major tournament outings. The Portuguese ace scored a joint tournament-leading five goals at Euro 2020 even as Portugal exited in the Round of 16. Messi, meanwhile, registered four goals and five assists at Copa America 2021, where Argentina ended a near three-decade-long title drought.
Though Messi and Ronaldo have never turned up on the same side of the pitch, the two seems to share a cordial relationship with each other. On that note, let's have a look at what Lionel Messi has said about Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.
#10 "It's a very special moment for me, winning another Ballon d'Or, after being in the audience watching Cristiano (Ronaldo) win the last two years (2016)
Lionel Messi produced a fabulous 58-goal season in 2014-15 to help Barcelona win their second continental treble in six years. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup to make it a year to remember.
Considering his exploits during the year, it was no surprise that Lionel Messi won a record-extending fifth Ballon d'Or award to bring to an end the two-year dominance of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a landslide win for the Argentine, as he tallied more votes than the next two contenders combined - Ronaldo and Neymar.
At the award ceremony, an elated and humble Messi, who scored 52 goals during the year, said:
"It is a very special moment for me to be back here on this stage, winning again another Ballon d'Or after being there in the audience watching Cristiano win. It's incredible, this is my fifth. It's much more than anything I've dreamed of as a kid. I want to thank everyone who voted for me, and I want to thank my teammates."
Incidentally, Ronaldo scored three more goals than Messi during the year. But his failure to win any trophy for club and country meant that he was never really a contender to win his third straight Ballon d'Or award. As a consolation prize of sorts, both Messi and Ronaldo were selected in the FIFPro XI of the year.
#9 "He is a phenomenal player with a lot of qualities, and that is why he is one of the best in the world." (2017)
Cristiano Ronaldo has racked up astonishing players, especially during his nine-season stint at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo and Messi consistently jostled for the honour of the league's top scorer, with the duo pushing the other to greater heights. After Ronaldo became the first player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season (2010-11), Messi responded with a stunning 50-goal effort the next campaign.
After Barcelona relinquished their La Liga title to Real Madrid in 2017, Messi spoke glowingly about Ronaldo during an interaction with Tencent Sports:
"We try to achieve the best every year for our team, and what is said outside of that I don't think is very important. He is a phenomenal player with a lot of quality. All the world knows, and that is why he is one of the best of the world."
Ronaldo was sublime in the Champions League, where he scored ten goals in the last three rounds to help Real Madrid become the first team in the Champions League to successfully defend their title.
#8 "In all sports, there is always someone who stands out and is admirable for his work. Cristiano (Ronaldo) stands out in football." (2020)
Cristiano Ronaldo has racked up mind-boggling numbers for club and country during a stellar career spanning nearly two decades.
The 36-year-old, who is the first Juventus player to amass 100 goals in his first three seasons at the club, is the only European player (second overall) to score 100 international goals.
Paying due respect to the exploits of Ronaldo, Messi waxed lyrical about the Portugal captain during an interview with La Sexta. Terming Ronaldo as someone who stands out in football, Messi said:
"There are many admirable athletes. Rafa Nadal, Federer, LeBron - in all sports there is always someone who stands out and is admirable for his work. Cristiano stands out in football. There are many who stand out and always do their best."
Among a multitude of achievements, Ronaldo is the all-time top-scorer for Real Madrid and the joint-most prolific scorer in international football, a mark he achieved at Euro 2020.
#7 "It was a very special duel with Cristiano (Ronaldo) that will remain forever" (2020)
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have amassed records galore in multiple competitions.
They are the only duo to score at least 300 goals in the La Liga and 100 in the Champions League. Both players stand alone in scoring eight hat-tricks in the latter competition, and now both Messi and Ronaldo also have major international titles to their names too, to name a few.
During an interaction with DAZN, Messi acknowledged his 'duels' with Ronaldo, especially when the two played together in the La Liga, saying:
"It was a special duel with Cristiano that will remain forever. It lasted many years, and it is not easy to maintain certain levels for a long time. Our teams were also very demanding: Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two strongest clubs in the world. Competing as equals for so many years is something that will remain forever."
Ronaldo and Messi have met only once after the latter left Spanish shores in the summer of 2018. That happened in a Champions League group-stage game between Barcelona and Juventus at Camp Nou, where Ronaldo scored a brace to help the Bianconeri to a 3-0 win and win the group.