And their battle for legendary status has now been ongoing for over 20 years.
Messi, 37, currently stars for MLS side Inter Miami after a dazzling career for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.
Ronaldo, 40, continues to tear things up for Saudi outfit Al-Nassr following glory at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
And the pair boast 19 league titles between them, as well as nine Champions Leagues and seven international trophies.
“The competition with him was on the pitch. Each of us wanted to do the best for our team.
“Obviously, as always, everything stayed on the field.
“Off the pitch, we are two normal people.
“We’re not friends obviously because we don’t spend time together, but we’ve always treated each other with a lot of respect.”
Ronaldo also had his say on Messi earlier this year.
He declared: “I have a good relationship with Messi. It was a healthy rivalry, we got along.”