"It wasn't something that was a priority" - When Lionel Messi's teammate commented on Argentine's feelings about rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Spanish centre-back Gerard Pique, who was Argentine superstar Lionel Messi's teammate at Barcelona, had once commented on the 37-year-old's feelings about his rivalry with Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo. While Pique achieved great success alongside Messi at Barca, he also played with the Al Nassr forward during his time at Manchester United.

Messi and Ronaldo dominated one of football's highest individual honours, the Ballon d'Or, for an entire decade (2008-17) before their streak was broken by Croatian legend Luka Modric in 2018. The pair won the award five times each in those ten years, and while Ronaldo could not improve his tally, Messi went on to win three more Ballon d'Or titles (2019, 2021, 2023).

Both of them broke innumerable records, that had stood for generations, on opposite sides of the El Clasico. With so many individual and team honours on their resume, their rivalry is regarded as one of the greatest not only in football but sporting history.

However, even at the height of the battle for supremacy, Messi supposedly remained unaffected by the comparisons with Ronaldo. In conversation with TalkSPORT, Pique had said (via GOAL):

"He [Messi] wasn’t that type of guy. He was very team-focused, although he was getting all the first page in all the newspapers and radios and TV. At the end of the day, he was very close with all of us and he was just focused on winning titles like the Champions League and these kinds of things. At the end of the day because he was the best. Then he was winning the Ballon d’Or but it wasn’t something that was a priority for him."

"In terms of talent" - When Gerard Pique picked his side in the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Barcelona and Manchester United centre-back Gerard Pique made his choice in the eternal GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He picked the former Blaugrana maestro, due to his sheer talent, but commended the former Red Devils talisman for his impressive effort and commitment.

He was invited for a challenge video on football content creator John Nellis' YouTube channel in February 2023, right after Argentina's triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the video, Pique said:

"Well, it’s true that the fight between them two in the last decade was quite impressive because both of them did incredibly well. I think that in terms of talent, Messi is number one, for sure. It’s true that Cristiano has worked very hard to try and compete and fight for that first spot but if you see the careers of both… I would choose Messi, for sure. He showed that even though he’s 35 he can compete as the best player in the world. He showed it in the World Cup."