For the first time! Ronaldo confessed to Messi with warmth: Of course I like him

On June 7, 2025, at the just-convened pre-match press conference of the UEFA A-level final, Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo talked about Messi and mentioned his relationship with Messi.

"Of course I like him! We have been together for 15 years and have never had any problems. ❤️ He has always been very nice to me and respects me very much - just like I respect him."

It also unexpectedly revealed the details of the award ceremony in the early years: When Messi was not fluent in English, Ronaldo took the initiative to be a translator for him many times, and the two helped each other off the court far beyond the public's imagination 28.

🕒 15 years of opponents, from gunpowder to warmth, legend of competition and symbiosis: Since the first encounter in the Champions League in 2008, Messi has won 16 wins (22 goals) in 37 matches, and Ronaldo won 11 (21 goals). But the Saudi friendly match in 2023 became a turning point - Messi started the blitz and Ronaldo responded with two responses, 65,000 people witnessed the two hugging and smiling in the fireworks, and after the game, they even sent a greeting in the same frame.

Secret respect has never been absent:

Messi once admitted: "Royce and I belong to another player";

Ronaldo emphasized in 2015: "We have no personal grudges", and in 2024, he said bluntly that "Messi has pushed me to be a better self";

The only friction was only in 2018, Ronaldo blurted out that "Messi is bad", but the two of them contributed 2 goals and 1 assist in the same night, and the controversy instantly became a good story. The two stars behind the end of the era:

Ronaldo Saudi Arabia's first championship: in 2023, Riyadh won the championship with a victory over Riyadh + Golden Boot of the event, and social media fans broke 600 million.

Messi's American League Storm: After joining Miami International, he averaged 3 goals per game, tickets were short in seconds, and the global attention of the league soared.

When a hero is in his twilight years, his obsession with victory and defeat will eventually turn into clouds and smoke. Ronaldo's words "of course I like it" are not only a relief to Messi, but also a gentle annotation of the 15-year battle between dragons and tigers - not only ends the era of "the peerless twins" and also writes a successful conclusion for the youth of hundreds of millions of fans.