In 2019, more than a decade into Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry, the two most famous athletes on the planet found themselves sitting next to each other in the front row of the Champions League Player of the Year awards show in Monaco. It should have been unspeakably awkward. Instead, Messi, who played for Barcelona at the time, and Ronaldo, then at Juventus, forced grins throughout the evening, turning it into a rare moment of humanity between two adversaries.
“It was curious, because we shared the stage for 15 years, me and him,” Ronaldo told an interviewer at the event, with Messi seated to his right. “I don’t know if it’s ever happened in football, the same two guys, on the same stage, all the time. It’s not easy, as you know … We’ve not had a dinner together yet, but I hope in the future.”
