Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has dismissed the notion that he has a rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming it’s a fabrication created by the media.
The pair regularly crop up in debates about the greatest player in history, having effectively made the Ballon d’Or a head-to-head duel since 2008.
Ronaldo scooped the individual honours at the start of 2015, an event which coincided with a sudden surge in Messi’s form.
But the Argentine disputes that Ronaldo is his rival and accused the media for overhyping the matter.
“There is no rivalry,” Messi said.
“It’s something the media invented. We both want to do well for our clubs, it is not Messi v Ronaldo, it never has been.”
