Cristiano Ronaldo has opened up about his relationship with Lionel Messi and insisted their great rivalry is finally over.
Both have changed footballing history in 15 years, winning 12 Ballon d’Ors between them during that time.
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Their footballing rivalry reached its peak when Ronaldo was plying his trade with Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona.
Ronaldo would go on to play for Juventus after his time in the Spanish capital, with Messi later joining Paris Saint-Germain.
Both now grace the game on different continents, with Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League and Messi in MLS respectively, suggesting further encounters at club level are highly unlikely.
And Al Nassr captain Ronaldo believes fans should just enjoy the football the pair are still playing and not take sides in debates over the two.
“I don’t see things like that, the rivalry is gone,” Ronaldo said.
“It was good, the spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo must not hate Messi and vice versa. We did well, we changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that’s the most important thing.
“He followed his path and I followed mine, even though I play outside of Europe.
“From what I’ve seen he’s doing well and so am I. The legacy lives on, but I don’t see a rivalry like this. We’ve shared the stage a few times, it’s been 15 years .I’m not saying we’re friends, I’ve never had dinner with him, but we are professional colleagues and we respect each other.”
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Both have won 79 trophies in the meantime and are the only two stars to have scored over 800 goals.
Ronaldo recently scored his 850th for Al Nassr against Al-Hazm on Saturday.
“It’s a historic landmark,” the 38-year-old said.
“For me, it was a source of pride to have reached numbers that I didn’t think I could reach.
“But I want more. When playing, the bar has to be set high and think big.”
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