"Habit of throwing himself to the ground" - When Lionel Messi's teammate accused Cristiano Ronaldo of diving

Lionel Messi's former teammate Gerard Pique once accused Cristiano Ronaldo of diving. The comments were made in the aftermath of Spain's 3-3 draw against Portugal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup group-stage tie.

The two teams faced each other in their opening game of the tournament, and it was Portugal who struck first. Just three minutes into the game, Nacho Fernandez brought Ronaldo down in the box and gave away the penalty.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner stepped up to covert the spot kick and gave his team the lead in the fourth minute. Spain responded through David Costa (24') before Cristiano Ronaldo sent his team ahead once again (44'), courtesy of a David de Gea error.

However, Costa went on to level the score (55'), and Nachos later redeemed himself by sending La Roja ahead (58'). Just when it looked like Spain would secure all three points, the Portuguese icon scored an 88th-minute free-kick to complete his hat-trick and secure a point for his team.

Speaking after the game, Pique pointed out that Cristiano Ronaldo had a habit of throwing himself on the ground.

"We had more chances, they had three shots on goal, and scored three goals. Matches go a certain way and you have to face up to it. To see yourself in the first game of a World Cup go behind to a penalty after two minutes, you have to have a good feeling after how the game went. Ronaldo has a habit of throwing himself to the ground," Pique said (via ESPN).

Unfortunately, Portugal were knocked out of the tournament by Uruguay in the Round of 16. Interestingly, Lionel Messi and Argentina also bowed out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup from the Round of 16 following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of France.

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How many World Cup goals have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals and set up two more from 22 appearances in the FIFA World Cup to date. Interestingly, all of the Portuguese legend's goals have come in the group stages of the tournament, and he hasn't reached the final yet.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, has registered 13 goals and eight assists from 26 appearances in the FIFA World Cup. La Pulga first reached the final of the tournament in 2014 but ended up on the losing side against Germany. However, Lionel Messi redeemed himself at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, guiding his team all the way and winning Argentina their third World Cup after 1978 and 1986.