“Each one of us has our own life” - When Lionel Messi made feelings clear about going out for dinner with Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi once spoke about the possibility of having dinner with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine superstar suggested that while they had their separate schedules, he would definitely accept an invitation from the Portuguese hero.

In 2019, Messi said in an interview with Spanish outlet SPORT (via Mirror):

"Yes, I don't have any problem with that. I've always said that I don't have any issue with him. We might not be friends because we've never shared a dressing room together, but I always see him at award shows and there's no problem. We actually spoke with each other for quite a long time at the most recent show."

He added:

"I don't know if there will be a dinner because I don't know if our paths will cross for obvious reasons, each one of us has our own life and our own commitments. But obviously I would accept the invitation."

This came after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sat next to each other during the Champions League draw in 2019. When asked if he missed playing against the Inter Miami attacker, Ronaldo had this to say:

"I was curious because we shared the stage for 15 years, me and him, I don't know if it's ever happened in football, the same two guys in the same stage all the time. So it is not easy, and of course we have a good relationship. We've not had dinner together yet but I hope in the future [it will happen]."

After a fierce rivalry with Messi in Spain, playing for rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, the 39-year-old joined Juventus in 2018. He now plies his trade for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League while Messi left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2023 to join Inter Miami.

Former Argentina star makes claim about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Ex-Argentina goalkeeper Hugo Gatti has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo was a better player than Lionel Messi. The 80-year-old claimed that the Inter Miami superstar did not challenge himself in his career.

He told La Nacion (via Bolavip):

"Cristiano, even limited, is a phenomenon. Limited, he’s better than Messi. And he’s limited because he doesn’t have Messi’s natural talent, but he played for the best teams in the world. Where did Messi play? Barça and the Argentina national team. Messi never challenged himself by playing for other teams, in other countries. And he had the opportunities, you know?”

The 37-year-old played for the majority of his career with the Catalan giants, joining them in 2004 and staying until 2021. The Al-Nassr icon, meanwhile, played in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy before moving to Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi left Barcelona, featuring for Paris Saint-Germain for two years. He eventually left the French capital to join MLS side Inter Miami in 2023.