Lionel Messi Discusses His Opinion On Christiano Ronaldo

5 Time Ballon D ’ or winner , Lionel Messi, has heaped praise on his rival , four time Ballon D ’or Winner and one time FIFA ‘Best ’ winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, saying Ronaldo has achieved many things and he has mutual respect for the Real Madrid man , dispelling the myth that the pair are huge rivals who resent one another .

Messi , who missed out on FIFA ’ s ‘The Best ’ Awards gala last Monday, citing match preparation duties , also took out time to praise England ’ s all time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney , saying he has always respected the Manchester United captain , who is just one goal shy of breaking Sir Bobby Charlton ’ s all time goal scoring record for Manchester United.

Speaking to Coach Mag , Messi said :

“ There is a mutual respect . I view him as a great player who has achieved great things because that is exactly what he is . My motivation, though , has always come from wanting to do well for Barcelona and Argentina, and the fans . ”

“ Over the years we have faced many British teams in Europe and come up against many good players , but I have always had a big respect for Wayne Rooney . He has played at the highest level for many years and is one of the special players of the generation . ”