Lionel Messi News: Barcelona talisman discusses his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo after the FIFA Best Men's Player award win

What's the story?

Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has opened up about his decade-long rivalry with Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with FIFA following his record the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year award win.

In case you didn't know...

Messi and Ronaldo spent their careers going head-to-head for individual and team honours in La Liga, with the historic rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid further adding to the intensity of the battle.

Last summer, Ronaldo moved to Serie A, where he continues his record-breaking exploits at Juventus and enjoyed a decent debut season that led to his nomination for the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year award.

The Portuguese superstar, who was nominated alongside Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, ultimately lost out on the prize to Messi, who became the player with the most number of wins with six FIFA titles.

Ronaldo was not in attendance at the ceremony in Milan on Monday and it was later revealed that he had snubbed Messi from his top three votes even as the Barcelona skipper found a place for him on his ballot.

The pair had previously met at the UEFA awards in August, where they were seen chatting as they sat next to each other.

The heart of the matter

When FIFA asked him why people are surprised to see him getting along with Ronaldo, Messi replied,

"Because of the big sporting rivalry that’s developed between us over the last few years, because one us played for Barcelona and the other for [Real] Madrid, and because we won individual awards.

"People perhaps think the rivalry goes beyond football, but it doesn’t. We both want what’s best for our teams and neither of us like losing. It’s something we don’t accept. That’s why there’s that competitiveness between us."

The Argentine added,

"The important thing is that it stays there, out on the pitch."

What's next?

Barcelona are next scheduled to face Getafe on Saturday, while Juventus will take on SPAL on the same day.

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