Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that both he and Lionel Messi have benefitted from their long-running rivalry.
"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."
And, while the rivalry between the two superstars has often been viewed as a testy one, Ronaldo classified it as "excellent" and says he would have no issue sitting down to dinner with Messi at some point in the future.
"I have an excellent professional relationship with Messi because we have been sharing the same moments for 15 years," he said.
"I have never been to dinner with him but why not in the future? I would have no problem with doing that."