They've gone head-to-head as the two best players in world football for the best part of a decade but Cristiano Ronaldo says he has "no doubt" that Lionel Messi made him a better player.
Messi recently admitted that he missed the Portuguese superstar in La Liga after he joined Juventus and in Ronaldo's view, the performances and achievements of both have only helped raise one another's game to extraordinary heights.
"I really admire the career he has had and from his side, he has already talked of the disappointment when I left Spain because it was a rivalry that he appreciated," Ronaldo told TVI back in his native Portugal.
"It's a good rivalry but it's not unique - Michael Jordan had rivalries in basketball, there was Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Formula 1. The thing they all had in common is that they were healthy rivalries.
"I have no doubt that Messi has made me a better player and vice-versa. When I am winning trophies it must sting him and it's the same for me when he wins."
They were never exactly best pals, and certainly not cut from the same cloth personality-wise, but Messi and Ronaldo's rivalry has always been exaggerated by the media and fans.
Messi stated that the pair "always had good vibes" whenever they saw each other at award ceremonies and Ronaldo is on the same page. In fact, he reckons there's no reason why the the two GOATS can't sit down and have dinner together.
"I have an excellent professional relationship because we have been sharing the same moments for 15 years," the 34-year old added.
"We've never had dinner together but I don't see why we can't in the future. I don't see a problem with that."
The debate about who is the better will continue to be a thing, but a supercomputer provided scientific proof that Messi is the answer.
Professors at KU Leuven university and data experts at SciSports have come up with a formula using data from 2013/14 until 2017/18 and it's Messi who comes out on top, ending with a Valuing Actions by Estimating Probabilities, or VAEP, score of 1.21 per game compared to Ronaldo's 0.61 per game.
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