“It was very good on a personal level and I think people enjoyed it” - When Lionel Messi opened up on his duels with rival Cristiano Ronaldo 

Lionel Messi commented on his duel with archrival Cristiano Ronaldo in 2020, claiming football fans enjoyed watching them compete. The rivalry between the duo reached its peak between 2009 and 2018, when Messi was at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the football world over the last two decades, winning 13 Ballons d'Or together. The duo established a remarkable duopoly over the coveted award with Messi winning eight and Ronaldo five. Between 2009 and 2018, the two faced each other at least twice every season during El Clasicos.

In a 2020 interview with British channel DAZN, Lionel Messi spoke about his age-old rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, saying (via GiveMeSport):

"The one with Cristiano Ronaldo was and is a special duel, which will remain forever. It lasted many years [in LaLiga] and it is not easy to maintain certain levels for a long time."

Messi continued:

"Our teams were also very demanding: Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two strongest clubs in the world. Competing as equals for so many years is something that will remain forever. The duel between me and Cristiano was very good on a personal level and I think people enjoyed it."

Lionel Messi has faced Cristiano Ronaldo 36 times for club and country, recording 16 wins and 11 losses. Nine games ended in a stalemate. Out of these, seven games were finals, including Barcelona's 2-0 win over Manchester United in the 2008-09 Champions League decider.

Ronaldo and Messi last faced each other in an official game in the 2020-21 season, when Barcelona lost 3-0 to Juventus. In February 2024, Ronaldo's Al-Nassr won 6-0 against Messi's Inter Miami in a friendly but both legends did not start the game.

In 2018, Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Serie A side Juventus, before returning to Manchester United in 2021. The Portuguese talisman then moved to Al-Nassr in 2023.

Meanwhile, Messi left Barcelona in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), before moving to Inter Miami in 2023. Although fans hardly see the duo playing against each other now, the football world will forever remain divided over who's the better player.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's LaLiga careers explored in numbers

Messi and Ronaldo - Source: Getty

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi performed exceptionally well in LaLiga during their time in Spain. The Portuguese superstar spent nine years in Spain with Real Madrid, while Messi spent 17 years for Barcelona.

Ronaldo recorded 311 goals and 95 assists over 292 appearances in LaLiga for Real Madrid. In comparison, Messi recorded 474 goals and 216 assists over 520 appearances for Barcelona. The Argentine superstar is the highest goalscorer in the Spanish top-flight history, while the Portuguese icon stands second.

Messi's best season in LaLiga in terms of goals scored was the 2011-12 season, when he scored 50 goals. In comparison, Ronaldo's highest number of goals scored in a LaLiga in a season stands at 48 in the 2014-15 season.

In terms of titles, Messi once again surpasses Ronaldo. The former won the Spanish league 10 times, while the Portuguese talisman has two LaLiga titles. In terms of individual awards, Cristiano Ronaldo boasts three Pichichi trophies, while Lionel Messi has eight to his name.