Al Nassr and Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has announced the end of his long-fought rivalry with Argentine and Inter Miami counterpart, Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, said that his recent milestone achievement of scoring 850 career goals is a significant accomplishment for him.
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA, for over a decade, discussion about the who is better between Lionel Messi and and Ronaldo has always been focal point among pundits and fans around the world.
While the two players have never declare their rivalry, Ronaldo has said the rivalry between him and Messi was a healthy one, and both of done have made history, adding that their fans do not have to “hate one and like the other.”
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At a press conference held on Wednesday before his training with the national side at Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, the38-year-old said, “I don’t see things like that; the rivalry is over. It was a healthy rivalry, and the spectators liked it a lot.
“Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to hate Messi and vice versa, because they are both very good. We’ve done well; we have changed the history of football, and we’ll keep on doing it. We are respected all over the world; that’s the most important thing.
“He makes his way; I make mine, even if we’re playing outside Europe. From what I’ve seen, he has done well, and so have I. It’s about continuing; the legacy continues.
“I’ve said there’s no rivalry. We’ve shared the stage for 15 years, and we ended up being—I wouldn’t say friends—because I never dined with him. We are professional colleagues, and we respect each other.”
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“The 850 goals are a historic achievement. It was a surprise for me, I never thought I would reach them. But I want more, I want to be at the top, to think big. I want to thank those who helped me, all the clubs where I played and the national team.”