"It would be nice if he were still there" - When ex-Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi admitted he missed iconic La Liga rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are hands down two of the greatest players of the modern era. The two superstars enjoyed a stellar rivalry during their time together in La Liga. Messi was Barcelona's talisman while Ronaldo's presence in the Real Madrid attack terrorized opposition defenses.

The Portuguese, however, left Los Blancos in 2018 to join Juventus. In an interview in 2019, Messi hinted that he missed the rivalry against Ronaldo. The Argentine maestro said (via AS):

“It was nice playing against Cristiano even if it was difficult. I enjoyed winning cups when he was at Madrid. It would be nice if he were still there.”

Lionel Messi further opined that Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival made Juventus one of the contenders to win the UEFA Champions League. He said:

“I have a lot of respect for Juventus; I think they are a very strong team, with very good players – and with the arrival of Cristiano, even more so. With the victory against Atletico de Madrid they’ve got a big advantage. But I hope we can be there too."

Messi was further asked about who was the best player in the world at that point in time. While the Argentine acknowledged that there are many superstars, he opined that him and Ronaldo were a class above the rest of the lot. Messi said:

"Today, there are very good players, Neymar, Mbappé, Suárez, Hazard, any of them could be the best in the world. But I took Cristiano of that group and put him with me.”

---

Lionel Messi once called Cristiano Ronaldo 'phenomenal'

FC Barcelona v Juventus: Group G - UEFA Champions League

While there was an epic professional rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the duo maintained a high level of mutual respect. Back in 2017, when they both played in La Liga, Messi termed Ronaldo as 'a phenomenal player'. He said (via ESPN):

"No, I have always said it—and [Ronaldo] from his part—that he is armed with the presence of us both. We try to achieve the best every year for our team, and what is said outside of that I don't think is very important.

"He is a phenomenal player with a lot of quality. All the world knows, and that is why he is one of the best of the world."