Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo gives verdict on rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won a combined 10 Ballon d’Or awards throughout their respective careers.

Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo gives verdict on rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo says that his nine-year rivalry with Lionel Messi made the two of them better players.

Messi has played for Barcelona throughout his entire career while Ronaldo donned the famous white shirt of Real Madrid for nine years.

Both Barca and Real participated in some of the most fiercely-contested El Clasico games while both Messi and Ronaldo were playing in La Liga together.

The two took turns in winning the historic Ballon d’Or prize every year from 2008 to 2017 and have also won a combined nine Champions League trophies

But their rivalry has been praised by Ronaldo, who thinks that their battle for supremacy has made both of them better players.

"A lot of people said that we fed each other, that being together in Spain made us better," Ronaldo, who left Real for Juventus in 2018, told France Football.

"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.

Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo gives verdict on rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi

"I think he said recently that he missed me on a competitive level."

Ronaldo also spoke about the feeling of being honoured as the best player in the world, noting that when he’s retired, he’ll finally be able to disconnect from the arguments over it all.

"It's always nice to be spoken of in a flattering way," he added

 "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.”

Messi and Ronaldo have scored close to 1400 goals combined and are widely-recognised as two of the greatest players in football history.