9th December, 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he never saw Lionel Messi as a rival.
The Portuguese star stated this again after Juventus brushed past Barcelona in the Champions League with a superb 3-0 win on Tuesday night, December 8.
Ronaldo scored twice as the result ensured Juventus claim the top spot in Group G.
While Ronaldo made the headline for a good showing, Messi made 11 shots, including seven on target, but couldn’t score.
However, Ronaldo, who shared a brief embrace with Messi before the Tuesday night clash, said there was no rivalry between the two all-time greats.
“I have always had a very cordial relationship with him,” the Juve star told Movistar on Tuesday night.
“I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award ceremonies with him. I never saw him as a rival.
“He always tries to do what is best for his team and me too. I always got along very well with him.
“But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him. I see him as always.”
“Barcelona are going through a difficult time, but it is still Barcelona,” Ronaldo added.
“The truth is that we are very happy, we knew it was an almost impossible mission, it was a complicated mission and we played well.
“The key was to get into the game well, we scored two early and from there we believed it was possible.”