Cristiano Ronaldo invites Lionel Messi to dinner; LM10 responds

During the recently held Champions League draw ceremony, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sat beside each other. They were seen sharing jokes, laughing, and having a fun time. During a LIVE interview, CR7 even commented that he would love to dine with his Argentine counterpart. Today, in response to that dinner invitation, Messi has reportedly expressed his interest. He has spoken of having no issues with having dinner together with the Juventus forward.

According to Metro, Messi responded to Ronaldo's dinner invitation by saying, "I've always said that I don't have any issue with him. We might not be friends because we've never shared a dressing room together but I always see him at award shows and there's no problem."

CR7 and LM10 have been dominating the European football scene for over 15 years. They share 10 Ballon d'Or awards; with each of them winning 5 each. Their rivalry reached its peak when Ronaldo joined Spanish side Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. Messi was already playing in Spain for Madrid's archrival, FC Barcelona. For a decade since then, both Messi or Ronaldo had been at the centre stage of European football. Arguments over which of them is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All-Time) also emerged during this period.

Currently, both of these masters of the game are in contention for this year's Ballon d'Or. When asked if he thinks himself to be a favourite for this year's accolades, Messi said that the award is a bit strange and full of surprises. He further stated that in modern times, club performance is often measured before deciding the Ballon d'Or winner. He also said that individual awards are not his priority, as he mainly focuses on team wins.

Messi's Barcelona are the defending La Liga champions. However, with Liverpool winning the Champions League, Virgil Van Dijk has a golden opportunity of scoring his first Ballon d'Or. Last year, Real Madrid midfielder and Croatian captain Luka Modric ended up on the victory podium.