“You are really small” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-teammate once mocked Lionel Messi before receiving savage response

Cristiano Ronaldo's former Al-Nassr teammate Alvaro Gonzalez once mocked Lionel Messi and got stung by a brilliant comeback. During an interview with RMC Sport back in 2019, the former Espanyol defender revealed how he took a shot at the then Barcelona captain's height and the hilarious response he got.

Lionel Messi and Alvaro Gonzalez clashed several times during their time in Spain as Barcelona and Espanyol went toe-to-toe in their derby games. Those matches were known for their intensity with the two clubs going all out for the bragging rights in Catalonia.

On one of such occasions, Alvarez found himself having a verbal exchange with the Argentine icon. The Spaniard, who played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr last season, revealed the details of his confrontation with Messi saying:

"It is quite a funny anecdote," he told RMC Sports (via SportBible). "It was a period where we had three consecutive derbies between Espanyol and Barcelona. Matches of great intensity.

"We used to banter each other back and forth. I said to him: 'You are really small, miniscule.' He looks at me and responds: 'You, you are really bad at football.' I had the final word: 'Yes, we are both right.' We laughed together and this story brought about a lot of smiles in Spain."

After representing Espanyol between 2014 and 2016. Alvaro Gonzalez ended up joining Villarreal in August 2016. He later represented Olympic Marseille before linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in 2022 where he spent just one season and switched to Al Qadsiah, his current club.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile ended his 17-year spell with Barcelona in the summer of 2021, joining Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent. He spent two years in the French capital before leaving for Inter Miami last summer where he currently plies his trade.

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How Lionel Messi's Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal fared during the international break

Cristiano Ronaldo was named in Portugal's starting line-up for their Euro qualifiers clash with Liechtenstein last week and he made it count by scoring once in a 2-0 win. Roberto Martinez's men went on record another 2-0 victory over Iceland at the weekend, with Ronaldo getting one assist in that game.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, couldn't prevent Argentina from suffering a 2-0 loss to Uruguay in their World Cup qualifier fixture versus Uruguay last week. The Albiceleste, however, bounced back to winning ways today with a vital 1-0 triumph over Brazil, thanks to Nicolas Otamendi's brilliant header.

Up next, Ronaldo will return to Al Nassr to continue his season in the Saudi Pro League. Messi, meanwhile, will return to vacation before Inter Miami will kick off their preseason tour ahead of the new campaign.