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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair have enjoyed one of the greatest sporting rivalries of all time for several years now.
And now the Argentine has provided an update on the famous battle. In an interview with Marca at his new home in Paris, Messi recalled the “beautiful memory” of competing with the Portuguese star.
The duo came face to face at least twice per season for several years in Spain. Messi lined out for Barcelona, with Ronaldo wearing the white of Real Madrid.
Both have since moved on from their time in La Liga. The Argentine now represents PSG in France, with the Portuguese back in England with his beloved Manchester United. It’s possible that the duo could come together again in this season’s Champions League.
Messi enjoys “beautiful memory” of Ronaldo
It’s been a challenging season for both in their new situations. After an early struggle, Messi just recently scored his first Ligue 1 goal. He netted in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Nantes.
Before and after 🤩#PSGFCN pic.twitter.com/h0fHEPkv83
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 20, 2021
Ronaldo meanwhile has just seen his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjar lose his job. United now sit eighth in the Premier League after a poor start to the campaign.
But Messi has extremely fond memories of their historic battles, which came to the fore in many famous El Clasico encounters.
“It’s been a long time since we stopped competing in the same league,” said Messi. “We competed individually and as a team for the same goals.
“It was a very beautiful period for us and also for the fans because they enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful memory that will remain in the history of football.”
Ronaldo has “adapted in an impressive way”
The PSG forward also had his say on how Man Utd have been performing this season. The Manchester outfit have won just five of their 12 league games, and have conceded 21 goals. Only bottom two sides Norwich and Newcastle have conceded more.
Despite the club’s struggles, Ronaldo has continued his phenomenal success in front of goal. He has four in the league this season, and he has netted five in this year’s Champions League. Only Robert Lewandowski and Sebastien Haller have scored more.
The former Real Madrid attacker is the competition’s all-time top goalscorer. He has 139 goals, while the ex-Barcelona forward has 123. For Messi, Ronaldo has never had any problems when it comes to finding the back of the net.
“Manchester United are a very strong team with great players,” added Messi. “Cristiano already knew the club, but that was in another stage and now he has adapted in an impressive way.
“From the beginning he has scored goals as always and had no problems adapting. In the Premier League, Manchester United are not as good as we all thought, but it is a very difficult and even competition in which things take a lot of turns. After December it changes a lot and anything can happen.”
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