Cristiano Ronaldo Admits to Missing Rivalry With Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi and  Cristiano Ronaldo have had a longstanding friendly rivalry throughout their careers, but it effectively came to an end when Ronaldo departed Real Madrid for Juventus. At the UEFA Champions League draw, the two sat next to each other and generally enjoying their time together. When asked about how their relationship was these days, Ronaldo admitted that he misses that rivalry between them.

“We shared the stage for 15 years, me and him,” he explained. “I don’t know that it’s ever happened in football, the same two guys, the same stage, all the time. It’s not easy. We have a good relationship. We’ve not had dinner together yet, but I hope [we will] in the future. […] Of course I miss playing in Spain – we’ve had that battle the last 15 years, which is good. It pushed me and I pushed him as well.”

It has also been rumored that Ronaldo would retire at the end of the next season, but he quickly shut down those rumors. Messi referred to their playful feud as “a beautiful rivalry” when asked if he fely the same way. 

Last year Ronaldo faced controversy after it surfaced that he allegedly raped a woman in Las Vegas in 2009. However, Las Vegas prosecutors decided to not file sexual assault charges against the player because “the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” His accused, Kathryn Mayogra, reportedly reached a $375,000 settlement in exchange for her silence on the matter.