After Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed the FIFA awards gala this week, with Lionel Messi beating him to The Best FIFA Men's Player prize, the Argentine has now made a somewhat surprising admission about his rival.
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Messi won his sixth FIFA World Player of the Year award – now known as The Best FIFA Men's Player – on Monday, with Ronaldo finishing in third place.
The Juventus superstar, however, did not attend the illustrious ceremony in Milan, despite making the 2019 FIFA FIFPro World XI, after reportedly discovering that Messi would lift the main award.
The Blaugrana captain, however, has since insisted there is no bad blood between them.
"People perhaps think the rivalry goes beyond football, but it doesn't," he told FIFA.com.
"We both want what's best for our teams and neither of us like losing. It's something we don't accept. That's why there's that competitiveness between us.
"The important thing is that it stays there, out on the pitch."
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Messi also explained why he thinks many were surprised to see the two superstars chatting and joking during the UEFA awards gala in August.
"Because of the big sporting rivalry that's developed between us over the last few years, because one us played for FC Barcelona and the other for Real Madrid, and because we won individual awards," he added.
Read: Reports: FIFA Furious With Ronaldo
Messi has now won FIFA's main prize six times while Ronaldo has lifted it on five occasions so far, but it remains to be seen who will win the famous Ballon d'Or – also known as the Golden Ball – in December.
Do you think Messi deserved to beat Ronaldo to FIFA's Men's Player of the Year accolade? Have your say in the comments section below.
