Cristiano Ronaldo made 'secret phone call' to Lionel Messi over leaked Ballon d'Or result

Cristiano Ronaldo made a 'secret' phone call to Lionel Messi after the Ballon d'Or result was leaked in 2017.

Ronaldo had four Ballon d'Or awards to his name heading into the 2017 ceremony.

At the time, Messi edged out his rival, having won five awards.

Following his performances for Real Madrid, Ronaldo was awarded the 2017 Ballon d'Or, which saw him tie with the Argentine.

But the Portuguese learned his fate before the official ceremony, with a report leaking the result of the 2017 Ballon d'Or.

According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, Ronaldo is said to have made a phone call to Messi, informing him that he has won the prestigious prize.

Messi congratulated him on his achievement.

In 2018, Luka Modric ended the Ronaldo-Messi Ballon d'Or stranglehold.

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates winning his fifth Ballon d'Or award. Image: Getty

But Messi would go onto win three of the next four Ballon d'Or awards between 2018 and 2023 to take his haul to eight.

Ronaldo hasn't won the Ballon d'Or since his triumph in 2017.

Are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi friends?

At the peak of their powers, Ronaldo and Messi went toe-to-toe in Spain's La Liga, with Real and Barcelona respectively.

They had a legendary on-field rivalry as the pair of greats duelled for the top trophies in the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during the 2014 Ballon d'Or ceremony. Image: Getty

Despite his 'secret' phone call, Ronaldo and Messi are not 'friends'.

That's according to Messi, who said he has a lot of respect and admiration for Ronaldo but doesn't view him as a 'friend'.

"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level," he told DSports last June.

"The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team. Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field. Off the pitch, we are two normal people. We’re not friends obviously because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect."