MOSCOW, Oct 31 Argentine striker of the American Inter Miami Lionel Messi said his rivalry with Saudi Al-Nasr's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo was a great sporting battle.
On Monday, Messi received the Ballon d'Or for a record 8th time — a prize awarded to the best player of the year according to the French magazine France Football. Ronaldo is his closest pursuer; the Portuguese has won the award five times.
«»It was an incredible rivalry between two athletes. We inspired and made each other better, he, just like me, wants to win always and everywhere. I think it was a great period in the history of football. We remained at the top in for 10-15 years, it is incredibly difficult, our rivalry will remain a wonderful memory for all those who followed us,» Messi said in an interview with L'Equipe.
The 36-year-old Argentinean is a graduate of the Spanish Barcelona, where he became a ten-time champion of Spain and a four-time winner of the Champions League. In 2021, he moved to the French Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he won the national championship twice and the French Super Cup once. In the summer of 2023, Messi became a player at Inter Miami, and with the club he won the League Cup. As part of the Argentina national team, Messi became a world champion and winner of the America's Cup.
Ronaldo is 38 years old, he won the Champions League five times, the champion of England three times (Manchester United), the champion of Spain (Real Madrid) and Italy (Juventus) twice each. . As part of the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo won the European Championship (2016) and the Nations League (2018/19).