Messi on his rivalry with CR7: We fought for honors for club, it's great chapter

Lionel Messi gave an exclusive interview to journalist Pollo Álvarez, in which he spoke about his years-long rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo .

Journalist: Is it just an illusion for us football lovers, or do people really always compare or pit you against Ronaldo? Maybe not so much now, but historically it was either Messi or Ronaldo. Is this a topic that belongs to all of us?

 

Messi: This is quite normal in football. He was at Real Madrid and I was at Barcelona—classic old rivals. We both fought for trophies and honors for our respective clubs. Football has always loved comparisons and rivalries, choosing one or the other .

 

This rivalry arose naturally in the football environment, just like clubs and national teams, and it always stayed within the realm of sports. People compare players today too, choosing who they like more. Later, both of us achieved many important successes, which made this rivalry even more intense .

 

Journalist: You have always appeared friendly in public, keeping the rivalry on the pitch.

 

Messi: Yes, that’s what we’ve always said. We never had a real personal friendship because we rarely met—only at matches or award ceremonies. Back then we were always competing to see who would win, but we always had a good relationship .

 

Now we are far apart, in different stages of our lives. But in the end, it was all within sports. I think it was a great chapter that people really enjoyed. I believe it was an extraordinary rivalry .