10 things Cristiano Ronaldo has said about Lionel Messi over the years

#3 "You can't compare a Ferrari with a Porsche" - Ronaldo on Messi (2012)

Cristiano Ronaldo

Three years after his arrival at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo announced his pedigree by becoming the first player to score 40 league goals in consecutive La Liga seasons.

In 2010-11, Ronaldo (40) became the first player in the history of the Spanish top fight to breach the 40-goal barrier. The following season, although Messi beat him to the 50-goal mark, Ronaldo scripted another stellar campaign, tallying 46 goals to help Madrid win the La Liga title.

Both players have recorded three 40-goal league seasons apiece, with Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski the only other players to achieve the feat.

Putting Lewandowski’s 40 Bundesliga goals into context:▪️40+ goals in a league season in Europe’s top five leagues has only happened eight times since 2010▪️Only four players have reached the mark—Messi and Ronaldo have both done it three times▪️Lewy did it in 28 games 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ujnmEQDm2a

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 17, 2021

Ronaldo said after winning his first league title in Spain that he was 'tired' about the comparisons with Messi, saying:

"Sometimes (the comparisons with Messi) makes me tired ... for him too because they compare us together all the time. You can't compare a Ferrari and a Porsche, because they have different engines."

"It's the first time and I’m very happy, because it's the most important trophy. It will be hard to match a year as good as this, because the Spanish league is the toughest in the world and competing with Barcelona, as we all know, is very difficult.

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#2 "This game we play is about the team, not individuals" (2009)

Lionel Messi (right) scored a rare headed goal in the 2009 Champions League final

Ronaldo won his Champions League trophy and bagged the 2008 World Player of the Year Award after a marvelous 42-goal season.

A year later, on the eve of Manchester United's Champions League final against Barcelona, which the Blaugrana won 2-0, Ronaldo said the final was not about him or Messi.

"This game we play is about the team, not individuals. This final is not about me and Messi," said Ronaldo. "It is between Manchester United and Barcelona. Both are winners of their national titles, and I predict that it will be a spectacular duel."

The game, though, saw Messi score a rare headed goal as Manchester United failed in their bid to become the first team in the Champions League era to successfully defend their title.

#OnThisDay in 2009𝙏𝙍𝙀𝘽𝙇𝙀 : 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙀𝙏𝙀 pic.twitter.com/hAsYjin9Mx

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 27, 2021

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#1 "I don't care if Messi wins the Ballon d'Or" (2015)

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi

At the peak of their 'rivalry' in 2015, after Lionel Messi had inspired Barcelona to a second continental treble in six years, Cristiano Ronaldo said that he 'couldn't care less' about his counterpart winning the Ballon d'Or award.

Ronaldo had told Kicker Magazine (as quoted by FotMob) in this regard:

"I don't care if Messi wins the Ballon d'Or. I know that it is not in my hands whether I win this award or not. It all depends on others. I have always remained the same over the past eight years of my career. I have always played at a very high level. Name me one other player in the history of the game who has done the same."

Ronaldo observed that he was the best in the business, an attitude that has reaped him rich dividends.

"But I think I am the best. Everybody should ask himself why you would not want to be the best at what you do. I think this attitude is one of the reasons why I have improved so much throughout my career and why I have achieved so much.

Messi's Ballon d'Or win that year interrupted Ronaldo's streak of consecutive wins. But the Portuguese would bounce back to win the next two Ballon d'Or awards.