“He used to call Messi, m**********r” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s feelings towards rival Lionel Messi laid bare through claim from Guillem Balague

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has made an interesting revelation of Cristiano Ronaldo's feelings towards his eternal rival Lionel Messi. The award-winning writer claimed that the Portuguese icon used to allegedly call his Argentine counterpart a 'motherf**ker' during the peak of their rivalry back in Spain.

Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo is perhaps the biggest rivalry we've witnessed in football history. Although the duo have always maintained that they have huge respect for each other, there have been a couple of reports of the former Real Madrid superstar critiquing the ex-Barcelona maestro.

While most of such instances emanated during interviews, Guillem Balague has accounts of the same happening in the dressing room. The reputed Spanish journalist recounted how the Portuguese icon used to allegedly call his Argentine rival a 'motherf**ker' in the changing room.

“When he goes into the changing room he looks for who the enemy is in that case, and for a long time he was Messi, and he used to call Messi, ‘motherf**ker’,” Balague said in a podcast with CBS Sports (via Essentially Sports).

Guillem Balague ensured he included Cristiano Ronaldo's alleged 'motherf**cker' rant in his biography about Lionel Messi. He told CBS Sports that he included that segment in the book to highlight how massive the rivalry was to both players.

"So I put that in Messi’s book to say, look, these guys are warriors from the moment they get into the changing room. That’s what Cristiano used to be," he said.

Lionel Messi has upper hand over Cristiano Ronaldo in GOAT debate according to many

By inspiring Argentina to claim the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi finally completed his incredible legacy in world football. According to many, he has pushed himself above Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. The Argentine followed that with his eighth Ballon d'Or triumph this year which takes him three clear of his arch-rival.

Messi also has the most trophies, most golden boots, most Player of the tournament awards to mention just a few which solidify his stance as football's greatest. Ronaldo can brag about having a superior goalscoring record and winning more Champions League trophies.

With the Copa America and the European Championship coming up next year, we will get the privilege to witness both superstars donning their country's jerseys once again.