According to Xavi, playing against Cristiano Ronaldo made Lionel Messi “a better player” since the two passionate competitors were constantly aware of one another’s movements.
WHAT OCCURED?
There was never any avoiding the comparisons made between their respective efforts, even though neither would care to admit it because they were focused on performing at their absolute best for Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Juventus. With 12 Ballon d’Or between them, records have frequently fallen around Messi and Ronaldo, and Xavi thinks that a protracted struggle for worldwide dominance served to raise the standards of the all-time greats.
Current Barcelona boss Xavi, who spent many successful years playing alongside Messi at Camp Nou, has told the BBC documentary ‘Messi: The Enigma’ about his insight into one of the greatest rivalries in sport: “Cristiano gave him an extra push to become a better player. Cristiano and Leo probably won’t admit it. I am convinced they used to keep an eye on each other. If you’re competitive, you want to be the best.”
There are no signs that either Messi or Ronaldo are planning to hang up their boots any time soon, and both players will hope that they have more significant victories left in them. However, Ronaldo is having a difficult time at Manchester United while Messi is thriving at Paris Saint-Germain.
