Messi praises Ronaldo: He still competes strongly and I am very impressed with him

In a remarkable statement that caught the attention of football fans around the world, Lionel Messi, the star of Inter Miami in the US, praised his Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the striker of Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and expressed his admiration for what he has been delivering so far in his career, noting that he still maintains his high level despite his advancing age.

During an interview with the Argentine channel "Deportes", Messi said that the competition between them has always been on the field, where each of them sought to give their best for their team, anywhere and at any time, but things ended there, confirming: "Outside the field, we are two ordinary people, and we are not friends because we have not spent time together, but what has always brought us together is mutual respect".

He added: "I am very impressed with what Cristiano has achieved, and what he continues to deliver, because he is still competing at the highest levels".

The competition between the two stars has continued for more than nine years in the Spanish league, where Messi played for Barcelona, while Ronaldo wore the shirt of Real Madrid, before the competition later extended to other clubs such as Juventus and Manchester United for Ronaldo, and Paris Saint-Germain for Messi, until reaching his current station in the American league.

The comparison between them did not stop at clubs only, but also included the race for individual awards, where Messi won the Ballon d'Or eight times, compared to five times for Ronaldo.

Messi's statements coincided with his recent brilliance in his team's match against Porto, where he scored a fantastic goal that contributed to achieving victory, reflecting his continued delivery of outstanding performances in his extended career.