Ronaldo admits Messi makes him “a better player”

Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has admitted that both he and Lionel Messi have benefitted from their long-running rivalry.

Ronaldo and Messi have been at the top of world football for more than a decade.

The duo has won 10 straight Ballons d’Or between them, before their run ended by Luka Modric in 2018.

The two superstars were also LaLiga’s headliners for nearly a decade, with Ronaldo starring for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018, before he made his move to Juventus.

That span saw Barcelona claim six league crowns to Madrid’s two, while Ronaldo and company held the edge in Europe with four Champions League crowns to the two won by Messi’s side.

“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.

“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,” Ronaldo told Portuguese channel TVI.

Ronaldo described the rivalry between him and Messi as “excellent” and says he would have no issue having dinner with Argentina 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.

“I have never been to dinner with him but why not in the future? I would have no problem with doing that,” Ronaldo added.