Lionel Messi on his 'special' rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has admitted that games against Real Madrid were “more special” when Cristiano Ronaldo was involved.

The Ballon d’Or-winning duo were engaged in an era-defining rivalry in the last decade, scoring 39 goals between them in El Clásicos between 2009 and 2018.

Ronaldo has since moved on to Juventus where he bagged yet another league title last time out, but now Messi has reflected on a special time in both their careers.

“Obviously when Cristiano was at Real Madrid the matches were always special,” he told Dazn.

“The matches against Real always mean a lot, but when Cristiano was there they became much more special.

“But it’s a time that has passed now, that we have experienced. Now we have to look ahead to the future.

Messi added that he was grateful to have been part of such a contest with Ronaldo, which he says will be remembered by fans for years.

“It was a special duel and it will remain forever, because it lasted many years and it is not easy to maintain certain levels for a long time.”

“Plus, the teams we played in were also very demanding, both Real Madrid and Barca, the two best in the world.

“Competing on an equal footing for so many years, I think it will remain forever.

“The sporting duel between us was very nice on a personal level and I think people had fun too, whether it was from Madrid or from Barca, or even only football fans in general.”