Messi: Ronaldo and I will never be friends

The Barcelona star admitted that he and Cristiano Ronaldo are unlikely to ever share a close friendship because they do not spend enough time together to build the required bond.

The sporting rivalry between the pair has been formidable over the years, sharing the last nine Ballon d'Or awards (Messi 5, Ronaldo 4), even though the Portuguese striker is currently heavy favourite to equal the standings for 2017.

"I don't know if we will be," Messi told 'Marca' when asked if they will ever consider each other friends. "Friendship is built through spending time together and getting to know each other."

"We have no relationship, mainly because we only see each other at awards ceremonies and that's the only time we speak," he added. "Everything is fine, but our lives don't cross over very often."

Messi and Ronaldo have collected a myriad of individual awards between them, but the Argentine believes a new generation of players will take their place in the near future.

"There are many great players around today who can win the Ballon d'Or," Messi said. "In recent years there have just been two, but now players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Luis Suarez can compete for that award.'"