Cristiano Ronaldo admitted on Wednesday his long-time rivalry with Lionel Messi has made him “a better player” and that he enjoys a “healthy” rivalry with the Argentine great.
However, Portuguese star Ronaldo, whose influence at Real Madrid mirrored that of Messi at Barcelona before he left for Juventus, admitted that the pair have never socialised together.
“I really admire the career he has had and from his side, he has already talked of the disappointment when I left Spain because it was a rivalry that he appreciated,” Ronaldo told TVI in Portugal.
“It’s a good rivalry but it’s not unique — Michael Jordan had rivalries in basketball, there were Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Formula 1. The thing they all had in common is that they were healthy rivalries.” Read more