Lionel Messi made his opinion clear when asked if he'd play on the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi made his opinion clear when asked if he would be open to playing on the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi won his record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris last month, after inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

The win means the Inter Miami star has claimed three more Ballon d’Ors than any player in history, with Ronaldo his closest competitor, having won the most recent of his five awards in 2017.

Indeed, Ronaldo wasn’t on this year’s shortlist for the first time since 2003, indicating that Messi and Ronaldo’s collective hegemony at the top of the world’s game may have come to an end.

Messi and Ronaldo’s rivalry was at its fiercest when the pair competed for individual and team honours while at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

However, at the time Messi said he could envisage a future where he and the Portugal icon were playing in the same team.

When asked in 2015 if he would be open to playing on the same side as Ronaldo, Messi said: "Yes, of course.

"I always like to play with the best, and he is one of them. I think it will be difficult for us to play in the same team, but obviously I would like to.

"I was lucky enough to play and participate with many very good players and, obviously, I would also like to do it with him."

The prospect of the pair playing for the same outfit seems unlikely at this point with Ronaldo, now 38, currently playing his football for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Meanwhile, Messi is at David Beckham’s MLS franchise Inter Miami, alongside his former Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Topics: Football, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.