Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – a rivalry that shaped football
“There’s no doubt that being in the same league changes everything,” says Txiki Begiristain, Barcelona’s director of football between 2003 and 2010.
Ronaldo’s world-record £80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009 thrust the duo into the middle of one of football’s most intense club rivalries, Barcelona-Real Madrid.
By the time Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018, the pair had won five Ballon d’Ors. In the nine seasons the duo were together in Spain, Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real. Messi scored 471 points in 476 matches for Barça.
But it had become much more than just numbers. It was personal now, and the growth of social media meant the world was watching.
“For Cristiano, it was Lionel Messi, and for Lionel Messi, it was Cristiano. ‘I’ve got to beat this guy,'” Begiristain said.
“The Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry mirrored the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry. And as players, they knew that match-winning goals were the path to supermanship,” added Spanish football writer Sid Lowe.
“We could watch everything on our phones. And in turn, the global visibility of the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry was now so high, it was absolutely unorthodox. Everything they did had to be seen.”
“It was on everyone’s lips in the press, newspapers and social media comments that Cristiano and Leo were determined to outdo each other on the pitch. Their struggle for personal supremacy was symbolized by the ongoing trophy fight between the clubs.”
And what a great war it was. Messi and Barcelona undoubtedly won the La Liga title, but the Champions League was dominated by Real Madrid and Ronaldo.
In 2012, Ronaldo led Real to their first La Liga title in four years but Messi claimed his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or trophy, much to the disgust of his rivals. He went on to win four of the next five games.
“A real hostility is starting to grow,” says Robinson. “They weren’t very accepting of each other, they hated comparisons.
“If they were the greatest of all time, they wouldn’t be able to tolerate anyone else in their era, in their football league.”
Deco adds: “I don’t think there is anything like what is happening now with Messi and Ronaldo because at the same time the two clubs, Barcelona and Madrid, were at the same level and fighting for big trophies.”
When Messi scored the winning goal for Barcelona in the 92nd minute at Real Madrid in 2017, he took off his jersey and held it towards the stands.
“The popular narrative is that Cristiano was Barcelona’s diva and Messi was Barcelona’s humble servant, but this was perhaps the first time in his career that Messi reasserted himself competitively by saying ‘look at me’,” says Robinson.
Just a few months later, Ronaldo mimicked the celebration while scoring in the Spanish Super Cup in Barcelona.
Balague added: “If you need proof of how important it is to beat each other, these are the pictures.”
