'I have affection for him' — Ronaldo declares love for Messi, opens door to becoming teammates

Portugal and Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo is one win away from winning another international trophy and appeared in high spirits during the press conference, ahead of the Nations League final against Spain.

Ronaldo answered several questions, including an interesting one about his long-time rival Lionel Messi.

An Argentine journalist asked the Portugal captain about the possibility of playing alongside Messi after years of fierce rivalry. Ronaldo, now 40, responded, keeping the door open.

“You never know. Time will tell,” he began.

“I’m 40 now, but never say never. Still, I see it as very difficult.

“I can tell you this, though: I’ve never been to Argentina, but I’d love to go. I have a lot of affection for Argentinians. And I have a lot of affection for Messi too.”

He reminisced about their past, noting, “We were rivals for 15 years. At the beginning, he didn’t speak a word of English, and I would translate for him at the Ballon d’Or galas when they told us what we had to do.

“I have a lot of respect for him, and he always respected me just the same. So, it’s hard to imagine… but you never know,” Ronaldo concluded with a laugh, suggesting mutual respect and warmth between the two legends.