In an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo finally opened up on how he sees his arch-rival Lionel Messi.

The pair have 12 Ballon d’Or crowns between them, and are seem by many as the best of their generation and among the greatest to have played the game.

Speaking about Messi, Ronaldo said: “Amazing player…Magic, top… We share the stage for 16 years, imagine, 16 years.

“So, I have great relationship with him. I’m not friend of him in terms of, what I mean, friend – the guy who was with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it’s like a teammate.

“He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speak about me. Even his wife or my wife, my girlfriend, they respect each other and they’re both from Argentina. So good.

“What I am going to say about Messi? A great guy who does great things for football.”