“Cristiano is Cristiano and Messi is Messi,” Ronaldo told reporters. “We are both great players with individual and team titles that speak for themselves. The comparison? I don’t like to compare, that word doesn’t exist for me. We are different, two people just doing their jobs, that is all.

“He tries to be the best player for his team and I try to do the same for mine. We are rivals because we play for different clubs, but when we are together we show each other mutual respect. We have a normal relationship.