When Lionel Messi opened up on rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo during La Liga stint. Getty

Lionel Messi once admitted that playing against Cristiano Ronaldo was exhilarating, as well as being exhausting at the same time. In a revealing statement about their rivalry during their La Liga days, Messi acknowledged the challenge Ronaldo posed and how much he felt the weight of it.

The Messi-Ronaldo duel began in earnest when Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. From that moment on, the football world was treated to a spectacle of two of its finest players going head-to-head in one of the most storied rivalries in sports. Their clashes were often more than just matches; they were battles that held the attention of fans globally.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry in La Liga was marked by intense competition, which helped elevate the league to unprecedented levels of visibility and excitement, with both players being the cynosure in the El Clasico battles.

Both players have had one or two things to say about each other. Meanwhile, when Messi was quizzed in 2019 about the player he thinks was on his level, he said (via Football Italia):

“There are so many good players now. Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Luis Suarez, Eden Hazard, any of them could become the best in the world.

“I didn’t include Cristiano Ronaldo in that list, because I consider him to be on the same level as me. It was fun to play against him, even if he made me suffer too. It irritated me seeing Real Madrid lift trophies.

“I do wish he was still in Spain, but I have a great deal of respect for Juventus. They seem a very strong squad, with excellent players, and are now even stronger with Cristiano.”

Both players no longer play in Europe at the moment. Messi currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, while Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Lionel Messi departed La Liga in 2021 as the league’s all-time leading goal scorer (474), while the Portuguese forward left Real Madrid in 2018 as the league’s second-all-time top scorer (311).

Lionel Messi shares similar views with Cristiano Ronaldo on football retirement

After moving to Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, Lionel Messi admitted that he doesn’t have many years left in football. His longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, also said the same thing ahead of the Euro 2024 campaign.

“I don’t have many years left in football… so, I have to enjoy it. I’m in love with football. Every game is special, imagine at the Euros with Portugal, you feel proud… it’s a dream, like when I was 20.”

Speaking to ESPN Argentine (via Mirror), Messi echoed Ronaldo’s thoughts:

“I’ve done this all of my life. I love playing ball. I enjoy the practices and the day-to-day, the games. Yeah, there’s a bit of fear that it’s all ending. It’s always there. It was a difficult step leaving Europe to come here [Miami].”