After he scored two goals in Juventus' 3-0 win over FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo made a surprising claim about his relationship with the struggling Lionel Messi.
Click through the gallery above to see some images of Ronaldo and Messi battling it out against one another on Tuesday night!
It has been a difficult campaign for the Argentine and the Catalan club, and Ronaldo was on hand to add insult to injury as he scored twice in a convincing victory for the Bianconeri.
Speaking after the game about his long-time player rivalry with Messi, the Portuguese forward insisted he has never seen the Barcelona man as his competitor and that they have always been friendly with one another.
"I have always had a very cordial relationship with him," he told Movistar+.
"I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award ceremonies with him. I never saw him as a rival.
"He always tries to do what is best for his team and me too. I always got along very well with him.
"But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him. I see him as always."
Ronaldo also discussed Barca's struggles, as well as his side's emphatic win.
"Barcelona are going through a difficult time, but it is still Barcelona," he added.
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"The truth is that we are very happy, we knew it was an almost impossible mission, it was a complicated mission and we played well.
"The key was to get into the game well, we scored two early and from there we believed it was possible."
See below where Ronaldo and Messi rank among the world's best-paid players today:
