'Lionel Messi didn't care about rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo'

Photo: AP/Francisco Seco

Former Spain and Barcelona star Gerard Piqué claims Lionel Messi "did not care" about Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements during the peak years of their rivalry.

The Messi vs Ronaldo debate dominated football media for the best part of two decades, when the two were thriving at El Clásico rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Throughout the pair's glittering careers, Messi and Ronaldo boast a stunning collection of major honours and entries in the record books.

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But Piqué, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona for 13 years and briefly crossed paths with Ronaldo at Manchester United, has downplayed the idea of a bitter rivalry between the two superstars.

Speaking in an interview with TalkSPORT, the 37-year-old gave an insight into Messi's perception of the rivalry.

Did Messi care about Cristiano Ronaldo? No, he was not that type of guy.

He was focused on the team. Even when he was on always on the front page radio, TV, he was only focused on winning trophies for the team.

At the end of the day, because he was the best then, he was winning the Ballon d'Or. But it was not on his priority.

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