Messi don't know if he will be friends with Ronaldo

Barcelona ace Lionel Messi has opened up on his relationship with Real Madrid star and arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Both players compete directly for almost all awards, and are arguably the most compared players of the last decade. The Argentine only recently equalled Ronaldo's record of four Golden shoe awards for the highest goal scorer in Spanish football.

They’ve been seen talking to each other at various award ceremonies and rarely on the pitch during El-clasicos. Messi says both players rarely cross paths and doubt if they'll have time to build up a cordial relationship.

I don't know if we will be.

Messi told Marca in an exclusive interview when asked about the possibility of both players being good friends in the future.

Friendship is built through spending time together and getting to know each other. We have no relationship, mainly because we only see each other at awards ceremonies and that's the only time we speak. Everything is fine, but our lives don't cross over very often.

 He added.

Ronaldo and Messi have won the last nine Ballon d'Or awards. When asked about the chances of other players winning the award, the Argentine gave a list of players who can compete for the award. 

There are many great players around today who can win the Ballon d'Or. In recent years there have just been two, but now players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Luis Suarez can compete for that award.

Both players are in the running for the next Ballon d'Or award, even though Ronaldo is the favourite. The Portuguese has enjoyed a fantastic 2017, winning both the La Liga and the Champions League. If Ronaldo wins the award, that would be his fifth and he will equal Messi in terms of Ballon d'Or won.