Argentina captain, Lionel Messi has given an insight into his relationship with his perceived career rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, revealing they are not friends.
Messi, 37, and Ronaldo, 40, are considered two of the greatest footballers ever, sharing 13 Ballon D’Or titles and 81 trophies between them.
Both players were expected to cross paths at the Club World Cup but Ronaldo turned down opportunities to join clubs featuring in the expanded tournament.
In a chat with DSports, Messi revealed his respect and admiration for Ronaldo but emphasised that they were not friends.
He said, “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.”
