Karim Benzema, the former French international, has spoken about the rivalry that existed between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.
The Al Ittihad player in Saudi Arabia was a teammate with the Portuguese at Real Madrid for several years.
He also knows Messi well from facing him numerous times in the Spanish league, La Liga.
Despite Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo being rivals for many seasons, Karim Benzema emphasizes that the two players were never enemies.
Contrary to what some fans of each player might think, they have a lot of respect for each other and interact normally on the field. Benzema recalled an instance at the Ballon d’Or where Ronaldo’s son told him, “Look, it’s Messi,” and Cristiano encouraged him to go say hello. They then sat together and spoke normally.
“There was great competition between them, and they made football fun. Some fans shouldn’t be fanatical about them against each other. Instead, we should enjoy them as much as possible,” explained the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner.
Apart from their on-field rivalry, the two stars have no issues and mutually respect each other when they meet at ceremonies.
Having dominated football together for about fifteen years, they inadvertently caused some of their fans to become rivals.
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