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What's the story?
Former Real Madrid star and Brazil icon, Kaka, has claimed that the rivalry with Lionel Messi motivates Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at the very top of his game.
In case you didn't know..
Despite being 34-year-old, Cristiano Ronaldo is still showing no signs of fading away from the top of world football.
The Portuguese talisman netted a majestic hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of Round of 16 fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, helping Juventus qualify through to the Quarterfinals despite losing 2-0 in the first leg.
Cristiano Ronaldo took the matter into his own hands by scoring two powerful headers and converting a penalty to complete the comeback.
It is crystal clear that Ronaldo is the pivotal reason for Juventus' good form in the Serie A and has scored 24 goals in all competitions for the Bianconeri.
Ronaldo's arch-rival, Lionel Messi is also proving that he is on a league of his own as he scored two goals and assisted twice for Barcelona against Lyon in the Champions League. The Argentine genius has racked up 36 goals in all competitions so far, leading the race for European Golden shoe.
Both Leo and Cristiano has dominated world football for over a decade, each winning five Ballon d'Or.
The heart of the matter
The former Real Madrid midfielder is amazed by Cristiano Ronaldo's desire to perform at the highest level despite getting older with each passing day.
"It doesn't surprise me for what it is, it surprises me because he's still at this level," Kaka told La Gazzetta Dello Sport as quoted by Goal.
"I believe there is also a Messi effect, the infinite challenge, this desire to always outdo himself. At 34 and after so many successes, Cristiano still finds surprising motivations."
What's next?
It still remains to be seen whether Cristiano can become the top scorer in the Serie A or not, as he is two goals behind 36-year-old Fabio Quagliarella.
Juventus will face Empoli next in the Serie A.
