Cristiano Ronaldo was right, Lionel Messi does miss his presence in the La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo last year had urged Lionel Messi to come to Italy and play in the Serie A just like him and the Argentine superstar has now reciprocated by saying that he misses his great rival in the La Liga, AFP reported.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018 in a record transfer deal worth 100 million pounds which brought an end to his legendary rivalry with Barcelona captain Messi, atleast in Spain.
Ronaldo and Messi are considered to be the greatest footballers of this generation with the duo leaving no stone unturned to upstage each other in the Spanish football league for 10 seasons before the Portuguese superstar's move to Italy.
Lack of competition in the La Liga now has made life boring for Messi.
"I miss Cristiano. It was lovely having him here, even though it annoyed me seeing him win so many titles. It would be great if he was still here, he gave LaLiga prestige," Messi told FM Club 947 in Argentina.
"Juventus are a great candidate to win the Champions League since the arrival of Cristiano, and the match against Atleti must have given them a lot of confidence," Messi said.
Ronaldo won a total of 15 trophies during his 10-year stint at Real Madrid, including two La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups.
He was the runners-up to Messi for the Ballon d'Or trophy thrice after joining Real Madrid before bouncing back with four trophies in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Messi and Ronaldo's hold over the Ballon d'Or lasted for 10 years before Real Madrid's Luka Modric bagged the award last year.
Interestingly, last year Ronaldo had said in a tongue-in-cheek remark that Messi may be misses him in the La Liga.
"I'd like him [Messi] to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he's happy there then I respect that," Ronaldo told the Italian press on Monday.
When Ronaldo was asked if he misses Messi, who has spent his entire senior career at Barcelona, the Portuguese cheekily replied: "No, maybe it's him who misses me ...
"I've played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he's still in Spain. Maybe he needs me more... For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make people happy. He's a fantastic player and a good guy, but I don't miss anything here. This is my new life and I'm happy.
"I left my comfort zone and took on this challenge here in Turin, everything has gone well, I've proven I'm still an incredible player," Ronaldo had said.