The Lionel Messi–Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry is one of the fiercest of all time. Even though it was considered a tough battle on the pitch, the fans have also taken it to the next level. On the players’ end, the battle looks like it’s only till the records. However, in a big revelation by Guillem Balague, the Portuguese soccer veteran is re-gaining heavy criticism after the well-known author talked over an old controversial tale.
Despite the two fanbases being severely divided, the two soccer veterans have always maintained their professionalism and believed in proving their worth on the pitch. But it’s stories like these that showcase how much the rivalry meant to Ronaldo and Messi.
Ronaldo’s eye-opening description of his ‘enemy’ brought back to life
As both the players split ways from Europe, the saga still continues. According to Guillem Balague’s eye-opening claim, Cristiano Ronaldo used to call Messi a ‘Motherf**ker’ considering him to be the most important enemy of his team. In a podcast with CBS Sports, Balague revealed, “When he goes into the changing room he looks for who the enemy is in that case, and for a long time he was Messi, and he used to call Messi, ‘motherf**ker’.”
Balague is an award-winning journalist and author who writes biographies of famous soccer personalities. The journalist penned this same incident in his book with Lionel Messi. Balague’s book gives a list of Lionel Messi’s experiences throughout his career struggles and growth. In an attempt to ward off any controversy, he clarified, “So I put that in Messi’s book to say, look, these guys are warriors from the moment they get into the changing room. That’s what Cristiano used to be”. However, CR7 Ronaldo has previously denied making any such comments about Lionel Messi and clarified that he always maintains a professional attitude towards his opponents.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Despite what the crowd feels, the legacy of both legends will be remembered for generations to come. With more than 1600 goals between them, the rivals have dominated for almost two decades the most popular sport in the world. With 13 Ballon d’Ors together, they can be called the greatest individual contributors ever to the beautiful game.
