"I don't compare myself to Cristiano" - When Lionel Messi made surprise claim about his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi once insisted that he doesn't compare himself to Cristiano Ronaldo. The comments were made when the Argentinean was with Barcelona, and his bitter rival represented Real Madrid.

The Portuguese superstar moved to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 from Manchester United. Subsequently, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's rivalry with the diminutive magician hit a higher level due to the animosity between the two clubs.

Speaking ahead of the El Clasico in March 2016, as cited by ESPN, Lionel Messi stated that he is only concerned about himself and his teammates.

"The press looks to compare among other things. All I want is to help my team to grow each season. I don't compare myself to Cristiano nor to anyone. I only try to think of me, of my team-mates and win games," said Messi.

He continued:

"They [Real Madrid] have great players. They have always had impressive stars and it's one of the best teams in the world. They are always a complicated rival and against them, we always find it difficult to beat them in the Spanish league. There is a lot of competition and we try to do it better."

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 as a free agent to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, parted ways with Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to move to Juventus.

How many goals have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored in El Clasico?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo added to the legacy of the fabled El Clasico during their stay with Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. The Argentinean maestro has faced Los Blancos 47 times during his time, all but two of which were for the Catalans.

The 38-year-old has registered 26 goals and 14 assists from 45 games in El Clasico. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is the record goalscorer in the highly anticipated tie.

Lionel Messi, interestingly, has also faced Real Madrid twice during his stay with PSG, registering one win and one defeat. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 18 goals and set up one more from 30 appearances in El Clasico.

The Portuguese superstar is tied on second with the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano in the all time list of El Clasico goalscorers. Karim Benzema (16) and Raul (14) complete the top five in the forementioned list.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit