Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are at the end of their careers, but there is no greater rivalry in football history than the one between the two stars. Off to Saudi Arabia, the CRF7 gave an unprecedented speech about its great rival. What he could say about the world champion.
Messi and Ronaldo. The biggest rivalry in football
Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated football for 15 years, both on and off the pitch. They fought for titles and prizes, and the rivalry between them is notorious. Together they won 12 Ballon d’Ors, seven for the Argentine and five for the Portuguese.
In 2023, the two left Europe for more exotic destinations. Ronaldo (38 years old) plays in Saudi Arabia, at Al-Nassr, while Messi (35 years old) has arrived in MLS, at Inter Miami. But the big question about the two remains: who is the greatest of all time.
A single trophy could make the difference. Thanks to winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup with Argentina and the League Cup with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has become the most decorated footballer in history with 44 trophies, surpassing the legendary Dani Alves.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo, OUT of the race for the Ballon d’Or. What is happening with Lionel Messi
What Cristiano Ronaldo said about Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo was selected to the national team of Portugal for the duels with Slovakia and Luxembourg, in the preliminaries for Euro 2024. Present at the press conference, the journalists did not miss the opportunity to ask him about his great rivalry with Messi. CR7 surprised everyone when he said that both changed the history of football.
“If you love Cristiano, you don’t have to hate Messi. We both changed the history of football and we are respected.
The rivalry between us is over. Right now, we’re both doing good things. We were rivals on the same stage for 15 years and were not necessarily friends, but colleagues. We respect each other a lot” said Cristiano Ronaldo.
Read also: Premiere in Lionel Messi’s career, at 36 years old. What milestone did the most famous footballer in the world reach?
The two football stars, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have fought each other in 37 matches. 18 in the Spanish championship, where the “Flea” played for Barcelona and CR7 for Real Madrid, five in the Spanish Cup, five in the Super Cup, six in the Champions League and three international friendlies.
Ronaldo, surpassed by Lionel Messi in the number of records
Leo Messi has recently surpassed his old rival in the list of active footballers with the most records in the Guinness World Records. He has 41, while Cristiano Ronaldo has reached the Book of Records 40 times, including the highest-paid athlete on the planet.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo, arrogant intervention in which he “stabbed” Lionel Messi and hit the ground with those who criticized him. “I opened the way”
Messi’s record streak includes the most World Cup Man of the Match awards (11), having claimed five at the final tournament in Qatar alone. The Inter Miami star is also the youngest player to score 50 goals in the Champions League, reaching that number at just 24 years old. Messi also holds the record for appearing on video game covers ten times.
For now, Messi is clear of Ronaldo 👀
Lionel Messi has 41 @GWR titles whereas Cristiano Ronaldo has 40… pic.twitter.com/rrXt10puFF
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) August 1, 2023
