Barcelona star Lionel Messi says he does compete with Cristiano Ronaldo, and believes that his Real Madrid counterpart does not try and compete with him either.
Messi, who is currently out of action for four weeks, said that the rivalry between him and Ronaldo has stemmed from the fans and the media, and he personally has never thought about Ronaldo as his competitor.
“These are things that people say. I don’t compete with Cristiano and I suppose he would not compete with me.”, Messi said in an interview with yahoo.com
Messi picked up a knee injury in Barcelona’s Liga Liga match against Las Palmas. The Argentine is frustrated about his injury, but believes it is best for him to concentrate on recovering.
“Being injured is the worst feeling in the world for a sportsman,” said Messi, “but right from the start, I accepted that I had an injury and that the only thing to do was to recover from it the best way possible.
“The most important thing for me is to be at 100% fitness. I am improving every day without setting myself any targets.
.
Messi has scored six goals this campaign, with Barcelona sitting third in La Liga. Messi is favorite to win the Balon d’or this year after guiding Barcelona to the treble last season. Luis Enrique’s men have struggled to hit top form this season, and Messi being sidelined for long could be catastrophic, with the El Classico looming large on the horizon.