Gerard Pique has insisted ex-Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi ‘didn’t care’ in regards to the rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo whereas on the peak of his powers at Camp Nou.
The Messi vs Ronaldo debate dominated soccer media for the very best a part of 15 years whereas the 2 have been thriving at El Clasico rivals Barcelona and Actual Madrid. All through the pair’s storied careers, Messi and Ronaldo mixed to win a staggering 13 Ballons d’Or and 4 UEFA Champions Leagues.
Whereas each are extensively thought of two of the highest ten biggest footballers of all time, to many, Messi solidified his primary putting in these rankings by successful the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina – a feat Ronaldo has failed to attain with Portugal.
Talking in an interview with TalkSPORT, Messi’s former teammate Pique gave an perception into the legendary ahead’s notion of the rivalry, insisting that he was solely targeted on successful with the staff moderately than competing with Ronaldo for particular person prizes.
“Did Messi care about Cristiano Ronaldo? No, he was not that kind of man,” stated Pique. “He was targeted on the staff. Even when he was on at all times on the entrance web page radio, TV, he was solely targeted on successful trophies for the staff.
“On the finish of the day, as a result of he was the very best then, he was successful the Ballon d’Or. But it surely was not on his precedence.”
Having additionally performed alongside Ronaldo briefly throughout his time at Manchester United, Pique additionally gave an perception into the Portuguese legend’s mindset: “He began as a winger at Manchester United, he was very skilful then when he moved to Madrid, he began to change into a goalscorer, like a pure 9.”
“At United once I performed with him, he cherished to do trick and was very skilful. However I assumed that he realised that at Actual Madrid, if you wish to be the very best, it’s a must to rating quite a lot of objectives.”
