Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that both he and Lionel Messi have benefitted from their long-running rivalry.
Ronaldo and Messi have been at the top of the sport for more than a decade, winning 10 straight Ballons d’Or between them before their run ended with Luka Modric picking up the top individual prize in 2018.
The pair were also La Liga’s headliners for nearly a decade, with Ronaldo starring for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018 before he made his move to Juventus.
“I really admire the career he has had so far and, for his part, he has already said that he had trouble when I left the Spanish league because it is a rivalry that he appreciates,” the Juve forward told Portuguese channel TVI.
“It is a good rivalry that exists in football, but this is no exception. Michael Jordan had rivals in basketball, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were great rivals in Formula 1, the only common point between all the big rivalries in the sport is that they are healthy.
“Messi makes me a better player and vice versa.”
