Lionel Messi Says He’s Not Friends With Cristiano Ronaldo Despite Mutual Respect

Lionel Messi has opened up about his long-standing rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, admitting that while they share deep mutual respect, they are not close friends.

The Argentine football icon made the remarks during an interview with DSports, where he reflected on their historic careers and how little personal interaction they’ve had over the years.

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level,” Messi said. “The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field.”

He added, “Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We’re not friends obviously because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect.”

Messi’s comments come amid ongoing comparisons between the two, who are often referred to as the greatest players of all time. Between them, they have scored nearly 2,000 goals for club and country and collected a long list of individual accolades. Messi holds a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, while Ronaldo has five.

Both players are nearing the end of their legendary careers—Ronaldo is 40 and playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Messi, who turns 38 next week, currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States.

While their rivalry has defined a generation of football, their personal relationship has remained distant. Messi’s latest remarks mirror what Ronaldo said earlier this year during an interview with Spanish outlet El Chiringuito.

“I have a good relationship with Leo Messi,” Ronaldo said at the time. “It was a healthy rivalry, we got along. I even helped translate for him once at an award show—it was funny.”

Though Ronaldo currently leads in total goals scored—938 compared to Messi’s 866—the admiration between the two remains clear, even if a close friendship never developed.