Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammate admitted he once “hated” the Portugal star, having preferred Lionel Messi growing up.
Arguing who is better between Ronaldo and Messi has become one of the internet's most tribal and tedious debates.
However, few players have had the luxury of plying their trade alongside both and had first-hand insight into their respective skills.
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Roma star Paulo Dybala is among the few to have rubbed shoulders with both Ronaldo and Messi, having played with the former at Juventus and the latter at international level.
Having spent three years with Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Dybala revealed having once admitted to the player he had grown up hating him, due to the big rivalry between the Portugal star and Messi.
"I spent three nice years with Cristiano, the team was very strong and he added something more," he said via 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."
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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."
Dybala and Ronaldo won two Serie A titles together as well as the Coppa Italia during their time alongside one another at Juve.
He also claimed the World Cup with Messi in Qatar, Argentina’s first triumph in the tournament since the days of Diego Maradona back in 1986.
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Ultimately Dybala has enjoyed success with two of the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game.
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
Chris Byfield