Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are both among the greatest players of all time…
As we reported yesterday, Real Madrid star and World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has been forced to deny claims that he refers to Barcelona rival Lionel Messi as ‘motherf****r’.
SEE MORE:
FM15: Wonderkids From FM09
Ultimate Football Manager 2015 Wonderkid XI
Best Football Manager 2015 Bargains
Ronaldo insists the rumours are untrue, writing on his Facebook page: “News is circulating that I allegedly made offending remarks regarding Lionel Messi.
“This is absolutely false and I have assured my lawyer takes action to sue those responsible. I have the utmost respect for all my professional colleagues, and Messi is obviously no exception.”
However, the rivalry is well known between the pair. Late last year, TalkSport counted down the eight greatest football rivalries of all time, and now seems like a perfect time to review that list again:
Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi
The two attackers have both attempted to play down their rivalry throughout their careers, but the reality is that with no-one else on the planet coming close to matching the pair on the pitch, they are in a league of their own and therefore direct competitors.
Patrick Vieira & Roy Keane
For nine furious years it was a relationship founded on and fuelled by an intense competitiveness, an absolute desire for physical domination and, from one side at least, hatred. It was the contest that defined a Premier League era as Man United and Arsenal battled over every title going.
Johan Cruyff v Franz Beckenbauer
One was the finest forwards of his generation, the other the greatest defender of his era, so it was inevitable Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff would clash at some point, and the 1974 World Cup final presented the perfect stage. Beckenbauer once said that ‘Cruyff was the better player, but I won the World Cup’.
Olof Mellberg v Freddie Ljungberg
When Aston Villa defender Mellberg wiped Ljungberg out with a hard tackle during a Sweden training session in 2002, the Arsenal winger responded by taking a swing at his team-mate, before fisticuffs broke out. Four years later things heated up again with a repeat incident during training for the 2006 World Cup.
Pele v Diego Maradona
It was probably inevitable in light of the vitriol between Brazil and Argentina on the pitch, but Pele and Maradona simply refuse to let this one die. Pele once said that Maradona is a bad example to kids due to his drug abuse, while Maradona claimed that Pele didn’t want the World Cup to come to Africa. The rivalry is still renewed from time to time.
Ray Clemence v Peter Shilton
For years Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton fought for England’s no.1 jersey, with the pair alternating between the sticks in the 1970s. Shilton was ultimately the happier of the two stoppers, however, with Clemence making his 61st and final England appearance in 1984, and Shilton managing an incredible 125.
Andy Cole v Teddy Sheringham
They were team-mates at Man United, but Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham’s rivalry was kept secret for a long time, but with their careers winding down in the late 2000s, details began to emerge. Cole once said that ‘I would rather sit down and have a cuppa with Neil Ruddock, who broke my leg in two places than with Teddy Sheringham, who I’ve pretty much detested for the past 15 years’.
Zinedine Zidane v Marco Materazzi
The source of the spat was Zidane’s sending off in the 2006 World Cup final after head-butting Materazzi in the chest, allegedly provoked by insults from the Italian towards his opponent’s sister. Time hasn’t helped to heal the wounds, either. Zidane said in 2010 that he would ‘rather die’ than apologise to Materazzi, who in 2012 tweeted a picture of himself smiling and standing next to a statue depicting the incident.
SEE ALSO: Serena Williams season review in pictures, as tennis icon makes 2014 a year to remember