Ronaldo Opens Up On Relationship With Messi After Scoring In Juventus’ Win Vs Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in Juventus’ 3-0 win over FC Barcelona on Tuesday, opened up on his relationship with Lionel Messi, saying he never saw the Argentinian as a "rival".

Having dominated soccer in Europe for over a decade now, Messi and Ronaldo have always been seen as arch-rivals. The rivalry began in Spain when Ronaldo played for Real Madrid and the El Classico fixtures between Barcelona and Los Blancos had all eyes on the duo.

Ronaldo left Real Madrid and joined Juventus in the summer of 2018. Earlier this year, when Juventus and Barcelona were drafted in the same group in the 2020-21 Champions League, the fans were looking forward to once again watching Messi vs Ronaldo. Unfortunately, when Barcelona traveled to Turin to take on the Serie A champions, Ronaldo was unavailable after contracting COVID-19.

Soccer fans finally got to watch Messi and Ronaldo on the field together when Barcelona hosted Juventus in their home in the Champions League at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. Ronaldo converted two penalties and Weston McKennie also scored as Juventus claimed a 3-0 win and top spot in Group G.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Ronaldo said he has a cordial relationship with Messi and he is aware that fans in soccer always look for a rivalry to increase the excitement.

"I never saw him (Messi) as a rival. He always tried the best for his team and I tried the best for mine. I always got on well with him. I am sure he will say the same if you ask him. I have always had a cordial relationship with him. As I have said before, for 12, 13, 14 years [I have been] sharing prizes with him. But we know in football people always look for a rivalry to create more excitement," Ronaldo told Moviestar, as reported by Goal.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, Ronaldo had never scored against the Catalans in the Champions League, having played against them five times.

"Barcelona are going through a difficult time, but it is still Barcelona. The truth is that we are very happy, we knew it was an almost impossible mission, it was a complicated mission and we played well. The key was to get into the game well, we scored two early and from there we believed it was possible," added Ronaldo.

In the 2020-21 season, Ronaldo has netted 12 goals in 10 competitive matches, while Messi has scored seven in 14 games.