Cristiano Ronaldo believes his rivalry with Barcelona star Lionel Messi has made him a better player.
Both footballers have won the coveted Ballon d’Or on five occasions and many consider the pair to be two of the greatest players of all time.
Juventus striker Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid before joining the Italian champions in 2018, and Messi recently admitted he believes they have spurred each other on to achieve more individual honours in the game.
The ex-Man United star has echoed the sentiments of the Argentine, telling France Football: “A lot of people said that we fed each other, that being together in Spain made us better.
“That’s certainly true. I felt his presence more in Madrid than in Manchester. It was a healthy rivalry. We were the symbols of our clubs.
“It’s always nice to be spoken of in a flattering way. It’s nice if they say I’ve been the best, a fantastic player.
“Today, I hear everything they say about me, but when it’s all over, at the end of my career, I won’t mind because I’ll disconnect from everything.”
Ronaldo dedication has helped him to become one of the all-time greats, and he admitted that he would be nowhere near the top of the game if he hadn’t put in the amount of work he has.
“First of all, you need talent, otherwise you won’t amount to much,” he continued. “However, talent is useless without hard work.
“I would never have got to where I am today without the culture of hard work.”
Ronaldo recently netted his 700th career goal in a 2-1 victory over Ukraine in a Euro 2020 qualifier, but he has said it was his his overhead kick in Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final win against current Juventus that is his favourite.
“Reaching 700 goals make me proud – it’s an impressive total that few players have reached,” he said.
“If I had to choose a favourite, I would say the one against Juventus because it was a goal I’d been trying to score for years.”
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