CRISTIANO RONALDO revealed he ‘never saw Lionel Messi as a rival’ after his Juventus side beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.
The megastars faced each other for the first time since Ronnie left Real Madrid in 2018 as Juventus topped Champions League Group G with a 3-0 win.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he never saw Lionel Messi as a rivalCredit: Reuters
Portuguese ace Ronaldo labelled Barca the ‘best team he ever faced’ after the game.
And the 35-year-old also revealed he has always ‘got along well’ with Barcelona wantaway Messi, 33.
The former Manchester United star scored twice from the penalty spot either side of Weston McKennie’s acrobatic effort to seal the win.
And speaking afterwards, Ronaldo said: “I have always had a very cordial relationship with him [Messi].
“I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award ceremonies with him. I never saw him as a rival.
“He always tries to do what is best for his team and me too. I always got along very well with him.
“But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him.”
Barca finished second in the group and still qualified for the knockout stage but are in desperate trouble in LaLiga.
And the Portuguese megastar also heaped praise on Barcelona after his Juventus side beat them in the Champions LeagueCredit: https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/
They sit ninth and just three points above the RELEGATION zone.
But despite the Catalans’ woes, Ronaldo still showed respect for them after his side’s win.
Alongside a post-match picture of the Juve squad celebrating in the changing room he wrote: “Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya.
“Always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced.
“Today we were a team of Champions. A true, strong and united family.
“Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season. Let’s go.”
He also told the media: “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.”
Ronaldo’s opener at the Nou Camp was the first time ever he had scored against Messi in the Champions League.
Ahead of the game, BT Sport ramped up the hype by publishing an evocative montage detailing the pair’s head to head battles over the years.
Former Barcelona man Gary Lineker narrated the collection of highlights, stats, quotes and drama and the clip is 210 seconds of pure passion.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
