Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has declared an end to the rivalry between him and Argentine forward, Lionel Messi.
The Al Nassr forward stated the “rivalry is over” during a press conference on Wednesday before training with the national team in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, ahead of the next European Championship qualifiers.
Both Messi and Ronaldo remained at the top of the football food chain for 15 years, beginning with Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or in 2008 and Messi’s first in 2009.
Apart from the Portuguese and Argentines, only two other players have won the most coveted individual trophy in football since then: Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
He said, “I don’t see things like that; the rivalry is over. It was a healthy rivalry, and the spectators liked it a lot.
“Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to hate Messi and vice versa, because they are both very good. We’ve done well; we have changed the history of football, and we’ll keep on doing it. We are respected all over the world; that’s the most important thing.
“He makes his way; I make mine, even if we’re playing outside Europe. From what I’ve seen, he has done well, and so have I. It’s about continuing; the legacy continues.
“I’ve said there’s no rivalry. We’ve shared the stage for 15 years, and we ended up being — I wouldn’t say friends — because I never dined with him. We are professional colleagues, and we respect each other.”