"Something I can tell my children" - Portugal star says he feels 'privileged' to have played alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Francisco Trincao recently shared the surreal experience of sharing the dressing room with football icons - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Trincao is one of the few players to have played alongside Messi and Ronaldo. The winger played with the diminutive Argentine at Barcelona and is currently captained by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in the Portuguese national team.

In a recent interview, Francisco Trincao described Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as team helpers and said he felt privileged to have played alongside the duo.

Trincao said (via Ojogo.pt):

"On the pitch they are one more to help the team, because they are players who try to help others and the team. This is more noticeable off the pitch, in the training camps for example, because there are always people behind them, and in the dressing room, where it even seems that they are not real, they say things that we are not used to and tell stories. It ends up being funnier inside the dressing room than on the pitch", he assumed.

"It will be something I can tell my children and my family. I'm privileged for that in terms of football, but I'm also privileged for many other things and to have the family I have and the life I have," he added.

While Trincao shares the same nationality with Ronaldo, the former has played more times with Messi than his countryman.

Trincao shared the pitch with Messi 34 times during their time together at Barcelona and combined for 3 goals. He has shared the pitch with Ronaldo 7 times in the Portuguese national team.

"They have won everything" - When Argentine star says he feels 'privileged' to have played alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez once said he felt privileged to have played alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Martinez plays with Messi in the Argentine national team while he shared the locker room with Ronaldo at Manchester United.

In an interview with ESPN Argentina (via Mirror), Martinez spoke about playing with the pair, saying:

"I feel privileged, it is an honour to share with them. You learn, you absorb. They have won everything, they want more, an admirable mentality and you give your best in every workout.

"From the first day, Cristiano treated me well. He is very friendly, he has a very nice charisma, bringing smiles, making people laugh.

"He is very professional, he arrives early, he is the last to leave and he takes care of himself at meals. It all highlights why he has had such an impressive career."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo now ply their trade outside Europe. The former plays for Inter Miami while the latter plays for Al-Nassr.