Cristiano Ronaldo is now the latest subject of major controversy recently after having sat with Piers Morgan in an exclusive interview, spewing his disdain on how he is being targeted at Old Trafford and how badly it is being managed, the owners, his gaffer Erik ten Hag and singling out former teammates for criticism, besides clearing his chest on other issues like the World Cup and his future.
Unexpectedly the Portuguese international also brought up his long-time nemesis Lionel Messi, most surprisingly labelling him as one of the best players he has ever seen.
“He is an amazing player. Magic. Top. As a person, we share the stage for 16 years. Imagine 16 years. So, I have a great relationship with him,” Ronaldo told Piers Morgan when asked about the Argentine international.
Ronaldo and Messi share a special piece of football history as they have a combined total of 12 Ballon d’Or titles between them and – since the start of their dominance in 2007 – only two players, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, have been able to claim the Ballon d’Or title in between.
“I am not a friend of him, in the sense that someone who always spends at my house or talking on the phone. But he is like a teammate – a guy I really respect. I like the way he speaks about me.
“Even his wife or my girlfriend, they always respect each other. They are from Argentina. So it is all good. He is a good guy, he does everything for football,” he added.
When asked whether or not Messi is the greatest player Ronaldo has ever seen, excluding himself, the Portuguese replied, “Probably, yes. Zidane is there, probably. But yes.”
On a more personal note, Ronaldo further revealed that he and Messi have never had dinner together, but when asked if he would like to, the attacker responded, “Why not?”
Messi and Ronaldo have shared a great rivalry on the international football stage, which peaked when the former was at Barcelona and the latter at Real Madrid. Since that momentous period they have hardly crossed paths as Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018 to ply his trade in the Serie A.