Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his great rival, Lionel Messi, after the Argentine great played his final international match this week.
Messi brought the curtain down on a 21-year international career with a goal and two assists as Argentina beat Benin in Buenos Aires in an international friendly on Tuesday.
It was his 208th and final game for La Albiceleste, with more than 85,000 fans packed into the Monumental stadium to give their hero a fitting send-off.
Commenting on one of Messi's Instagram posts, Ronaldo messaged: “Leo, so many years representing your country and a story that will remain forever. All my respect for what you achieved with Argentina. A hug.”
The comment has over six million likes.
The debate over who is the greatest player between the two has been a near-constant among supporters and commentators for the past two decades, but Ronaldo's message shows the level of respect he has for his great rival.
Between them, they share 13 Ballon d'Ors, the award for the world's best player each year. Messi has eight, Ronaldo five.
Messi's goal from the penalty spot against Benin was his 126th in the famous sky-blue-and-white colours of the national team. He is both Argentina's record scorer and appearance maker.
His crowning glory came in 2022 when he led Argentina to a third World Cup triumph. He was also part of the Copa America-winning sides of 2021 and 2024.
While Messi's international bow came with the appropriate pomp and pageantry, Ronaldo's international future with Portugal came close to an undignified end.
The 41-year-old released a statement this week – running to nearly 2,000 words – confirming he was not retiring from international football and remained available for selection after walking out on Portugal's training camp ahead of their match against Denmark.
The Al Nassr striker accused Portugal manager Jorge Jesus of an “absolute breach of trust” and said he had twice broken his word to him.
The row was sparked by Ronaldo feeling unhappy at being an unused substitute in Portugal's previous match against Norway.
Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed a plan under which the forward would miss the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness. However, on the day of the Norway game, the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes.
After being asked to warm up, Ronaldo was then left on the bench.
According to Ronaldo's account, a plan was agreed with Jesus in which he would clarify that the player had not demanded to play and that the coach had made a mistake in asking him to warm up without bringing him on.
Jesus made no mention of this in his next press conference, prompting Ronaldo to leave the national team camp in Copenhagen.
Ronaldo said he deserved to be punished by the Portuguese Football Federation, while Jesus said the door remained open for Ronaldo to return.
Ronaldo holds the record for most caps (234) and most goals (146) in international football.
