Former Barcelona star Dani Alves has revealed he loves Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn’t admit it in the past due to the Barcelona-Madrid rivalry.

“I love Cristiano. Now we’re no longer at Barca or Madrid, I can speak, as it always seemed like I couldn’t”, Alves told a podcast interview, as covered by Marca.

“Cristiano exemplifies, for all of us who don’t have that much quality, that with hard work, you can compete against the best.

“I respect him a lot and I had the opportunity to tell him.

“There was a time, because of the rivalry, I went to greet him, and he ignored me.

“There was a controversy that never came out, but in the Ballon d’Or dressing room we had a ‘scuffle’. I greeted everyone and he ignored me because of the Barca-Madrid rivalry.

“I identify with him, because everything I did in my life was based on work.

“As a player, I’m closer to Cristiano than Messi, because of work, not because of talent. Leo is a born talent, at a level only he can achieve.”