Messi-Ronaldo rivalry will continue forever, admits Lionel Messi
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Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has said that his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo will forever remain a talking point. The Portuguese moved to Juventus in 2018 putting an end to the La Liga rivalry with Messi after nine long years where they both pushed each other to extremes in search of greatness.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi said in an interview that talks about his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo will continue forever. The duo shared the La Liga stage for nine years and competed for all round success. The Argentine believes that despite Ronaldo moving to Juventus in 2018, the rivalry will “remain forever”. The Portuguese superstar moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 and since then has been the central figure at Los Blancos before leaving for Italy.
Meanwhile, Messi has continued to spearhead Barcelona's attack and take the world by storm. The two superstars dominated world football to win all but one of the last 12 Ballon d'Or awards with only Luka Modric managing to break the duopoly in 2018. The La Masia product went on to admit that people will remember the rivalry because it lasted for so long. Despite Ronaldo switching Real Madrid white to Bianconeri black and white stripes, Messi feels the rivalry will still continue.
“It was a special duel and it will remain [in people's minds] forever, because it lasted for many years and it is not easy to maintain such levels for a long time. Plus, the teams we played in were also very demanding, both Real Madrid and Barca, the two best teams in the world. Competing on an equal footing for so many years, I think it will remain [in people's minds] forever. The sporting duel between us was very nice on a personal level and I think people had fun too, whether they were fans of Madrid or Barca, or even only football fans in general," said Messi to Goal.
The six time Ballon d’Or winner remembers the intense El Clasicos and how Ronaldo and Messi tried to make their mark on their game. During Ronaldo's time in the Spanish capital, Messi scored 472 goals in 476 appearances across all competitions, while his Madrid foe hit 450 goals in 438 matches.
“Obviously, when Cristiano was at Real Madrid, the matches were always special. The matches against Real always mean a lot, but when Cristiano was there they became much more special. But it's a time that has passed now, that we have experienced. Now, we have to look ahead to the future," concluded the 32-year-old.
