Diego Simeone explains why Lionel Messi relishes his epic rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo

What's the story?

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone made a huge claim about the age-old Messi-Ronaldo rivalry in an exclusive interview with La Nacion yesterday.

The manager who is quite familiar with the duo, having led his side against two of the greatest footballers of all time on multiple occasions in league fixtures, said that Lionel Messi cares more about his comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, as compared to his collocation with compatriot Diego Maradona.

In case you didn't know...

After missing out on the Ballon d'Or last season, Messi and Ronaldo are back in the contention for the coveted award on the back of fantastic individual seasons. The duo breached the 600-goal mark this season, within a span of days, which gives us just a glimpse of how fierce their on-pitch rivalry is.

The heart of the matter

Diego Simeone, one of the most respected managers in the world, took the opportunity of the offseason to sit back and have an in-depth interview with Argentina daily La Nacion.

Over the course of the interview, the topic of Copa America and Argentina came up. This eventually led to questions about Messi and what makes him an absolute top player. The Argentine manager credited his desire to score goals and to win games as the two main forces that have led him on this journey towards greatness. He said: (Via FoxSportsAsia)

“What makes Messi exceptional is that he does not care about anything other than winning and scoring goals. He can play in the 4-4-2 of Valverde, in the 3-5-2 of Luis Enrique, in the 4-3-3 of Guardiola."

Given the hype in the media recently, it is nigh impossible to mention Messi's name without also inciting a reference to his arch-rival Ronaldo. So the 49-year-old manager also did not hold back from making a claim about the rivalry that divides fans all across the globe, stating that it is the constant comparisons that have helped them outdo each other. He added:

"Everyone burns their heads thinking they are competing against Maradona and against the story, but I think he competes only against Ronaldo and that duel makes them both better.”

“Possibly he wants to become world champion, he wants to win a Copa America, but he only competes against Ronaldo to see who is the best today."

What's next?

Ronaldo ended his season on a high note after a triumph at UEFA Nations League with Portugal. It remains to be seen whether it inspires Messi to his first piece of silverware with Argentina at the ongoing Copa America in Brazil.

Argentina face Venezuela in the quarter-final fixture on Friday.