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In 2014, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague revealed Cristiano Ronaldo's nickname for Lionel Messi in the Real Madrid dressing room. It was during the height of the legendary superstars and their rivalry at Madrid and Barcelona.
By late 2014, Ronaldo had won the Ballon d'Or twice, first in 2008 with Manchester United, and in 2013 with Los Blancos, which came after the Argentine playmaker won the coveted award four straight times.
While Ronaldo eventually won the 2014 Ballon d'Or (which was awarded in early 2015), reports of his nickname for Messi had emerged. Balague, who has authored biographies about the two legendary footballers, revealed to the Daily Telegraph:
"Ronaldo, perhaps as a symptom of the immaturity that marks so many footballers, thinks it necessary to put on a brave face in front of his teammates, not be scared of Messi and to rise to the challenge. All very macho; all very false.
"And that is why, according to some Real Madrid players, CR7 has a nickname for him: ‘motherf----r’; and if he sees someone from the club speaking to Leo, he also ends up being baptised ‘motherf----r’."
Balague continued:
"In that environment, Ronaldo usually compares their relationship with that between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
"And the Madrid players, with their less than subtle dressing-room sense of humour, have a long list of jokes that include Messi as Ronaldo’s dog or puppet, or kept in a designer handbag belonging to the Portuguese player. And much worse."
Cristiano Ronaldo denied Guillem Balague's claims about the nickname after the Spanish journalist's words were published on The Telegraph.
Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben speaks about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben has spoken about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, making his pick in the two-decade long debate about the duo. Messi and Ronaldo are widely seen as the best players in history, winning a combined 13 Ballon d'Or awards.
However, for Arjen Robben, the winner is Lionel Messi. The former Chelsea winger said on the TOUZANI YouTube channel (via Mirror):
"When I talk about it with the guys. The best ever. The best. Truly the absolute absolute absolute best ever, I always ask 'does he use tricks?' And then the answer is no. Messi of course, he doesn't have tricks up his sleeve. He just does everything quickly. He has control, speed, and agility."
Lionel Messi has won the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami in the USA and more recently leading them to the Supporters' Shield. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile plays with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he's still looking for his first competitive trophy.
