“A controversy that never came out” - Lionel Messi’s ex-Barcelona teammate explains ‘scuffle’ with Cristiano Ronaldo at Ballon d’Or gala

Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves has opened up on a scuffle with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Ballon d'Or gala. The Brazilian explained that the Portuguese superstar refused to greet him when they met at the award ceremony.

This happened at a time when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were proudly donning the Barcelona and Real Madrid jerseys, respectively. Their rivalry was at its peak as they went head-to-head for major individual awards including the Ballon d'Or.

It was also a period when the El Clasico used to be fiery, with both clubs throwing their all on the pitch to secure the bragging rights. Featuring as a right-back for the Blaugrana, Dani Alves was primarily charged with containing Cristiano Ronaldo on the flank and this resulted in several heated moments between the pair.

The result of these clashes and the negativity the Classico was generating strained the relationship between the players and the Portuguese wasn't one to let that slide easily. As revealed by the Brazilian, the former Real Madrid winger wouldn't even greet him when they met at the Ballon d'Or gala.

Recalling the episode during a podcast with UNAM Pumas team-mate Efrian Valverde back in 2022, the former Barcelona defender explained:

"There came a time because of the rivalry that I would go over to greet him [Ronaldo] and he wouldn't greet me. There was a controversy that never came out, but in the dressing room of the Ballon d'Or ceremony we had a scuffle, I greeted everyone and he didn't greet me because of what the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry was generating outside."

"But how can I not respect a guy who has achieved everything based on hard work and putting his heart and soul into it?" he added.

The Brazilian bid farewell to Spanish football at the end of his second spell with Barcelona in November 2021. He later joined UNAM Pumas, where he played until his retirement in January 2023.

How Lionel Messi overcame Cristiano Ronaldo in Ballon d'Or battle

In 2017, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had the same number of Ballon d'Or awards. The Portuguese had just claimed the accolade for the fifth time in his career after leading Real Madrid to back-to-back Champions League triumphs that year.

However, that was the last time he ever laid his hands on the prestigious prize. After Luka Modric beat the pair to the accolade in 2018, Lionel Messi came back to claim it in 2019 after outscoring everyone in Europe and leading Barcelona to a domestic double.

The 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Messi won the award again in 2021 as well as in 2023 after leading Argentina to World Cup glory, establishing an 8-5 lead over Ronaldo.

At this stage, it is fair to say that we might not witness any change to this scoreline as both players are now in the twilight of their careers.