Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate told him he 'hated' the Al Nassr star to his face during conversation on flight

Cristiano Ronaldo's former Juventus teammate once said he "hated" the Portuguese star after growing up watching Lionel Messi.

A select group of players have had the privilege of playing alongside both Ronaldo and Messi, including Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago, Deco and Gabriel Heinze.

Paulo Dybala is also one of the few men to have rubbed shoulders with two of the all-time greats, having played with them at club and international level.

The Argentine forward spent three years playing alongside the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

And in an interview, Dybala once revealed the conversation he had with Ronaldo during a flight to an away game.

The 31-year-old, who now plays for Serie A side AS Roma, told the Portuguese he "hated" him due to the "big rivalry" between him and Messi in Argentina.

"I spent three nice years with Cristiano, the team was very strong and he added something more," he said, as quoted by Football Italia.

"There’s a big rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo in Argentina. Once, we were flying out for a game, I was sitting at the back of the plane and he was slightly ahead."

Dybala added: "At some point, he came to me, we spoke about life in general for a while, and I told him: 'As a kid, I practically hated you.' We laughed about it and we’ve always been on good terms."

Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo embrace during a league match for Juventus. Image: Getty

Dybala and Ronaldo won two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia during their time together at Juve.

And of course, he lifted the World Cup with Messi, meaning he's enjoyed success with two of the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game.

Earlier this year, Dybala included a surprise addition when he was asked to name the three best players he has ever shared the pitch with.

Having made 450 club appearances across his career, the former Palermo man mentioned fellow Argentine Gonzalo Higuain in his list.

“Messi, Ronaldo and [Gonzalo] Higuain are my three favourite team-mates in the world of football,” Dybala told Al Arabi Al Jadeed, as quoted by Calciomercato.

“Ronaldo, he’s a champion. Playing with him at Juventus was wonderful. I learned about the dedication to my profession from him and the desire to win, despite everything I had already achieved. I am not surprised that he is also doing well in Arabia.

Dybala added: “Although my dream since I was a child was to play with Messi... he is already a constant inspiration. To have shared the World Cup victory with him is something I will never forget."