Lionel Messi said he has a lot of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, but the two legends are “no friends”.
Messi again made the headlines after his free kick Inter Miami gave their very first club World Cup victory and Porto defeated 2-1 in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Ronaldo was connected to a move to Miami, together with other clubs such as Al-Hilal, to participate in the competition, but nothing flourished.
Messi has shared the stage with Ronaldo, however, emphasized by their spells in Laliga with Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
The two attackers dominated each competition in which they played and also won the Ballon d'Or Awards from 2008 to 2017, both each won five at the time, but Messi has won three since then.
Leo. #Fifacwc pic.twitter.com/ov6dqne1wt
– Fifa Club World Cup (@Fifacwc) 19 June 2025
Messi was full of admiration when he was asked about Ronaldo, but said there is not much a relationship between the couple outside the field.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, and for the career he has and remains,” said Messi.
“He still competes at the highest level. The competition with him was on the field … Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Everything stayed on the field.
“We are two normal guys from the field. We are not friends because we don't spend time together, but we have always treated each other with great respect.”