Former Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique, who played alongside both Ronaldo and Messi, revealed the Argentine superstar’s thoughts on their arch-rival.
Gerard Pique asserted that Lionel Messi has never been haunted by Cristiano Ronaldo during the peak years of their Ballon d’Or rivalry.
During their most glorious period of the past two decades, both were locked in an intense battle. Messi held the edge on the Ballon d’Or front, with 8 wins to the Portuguese’s 5, but both boasted an impressive collection of major titles and record-breaking achievements.
Messi and Ronaldo elevated the art of scoring to new heights, yet Pique – who played with Messi at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Manchester United – maintains that the Argentine icon at Camp Nou never paid much attention to how CR7 was performing.
Pique told talkSPORT: “He’s not that kind of person. Messi is very focused on the team, even though he’s always on the front pages of all newspapers, radio, and TV. At the end of the day, he’s very close to all of us, and he just focuses on winning titles like the Champions League and similar ones. Messi has won many Ballon d’Ors, but that’s not a priority for him.”
Pique has clinched major honors alongside Messi and Ronaldo, notably during his youthful years at Old Trafford – aiding him in becoming a World Cup champion. Pique further elaborated on leaving La Masia to train in England.
Pique added: “It was amazing back then because I was very, very young, and every day when I entered the dressing room, we had [Ryan] Giggsy, Scholesy, Gary Neville. The class of ’92, it’s unbelievable, we had Rooneys and Ronaldos coming through. I remember crazily about that time, every training session was like an opportunity to prove yourself. I was able to play at that level. It was tough, I can tell you that every day you had to mark Wayne Rooney or Ruud van Nistelrooy or Cristiano, but that’s good because you have great challenges to face. The years at Man United helped me grow a lot.”
Messi and Ronaldo have yet to show signs of slowing down at ages 36 and 39, respectively. Messi seeks to enhance his legacy as the greatest player of all time at MLS club Inter Miami, while Ronaldo has netted 36 goals in 39 appearances this season for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.