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Messi: Ronaldo is great but beating him doesn't motivate me

The Argentine spoke of a "mutual respect" between the Barcelona and Real Madrid stars and admits his counterpart has achieved great things

Lionel Messi says Cristiano Ronaldo is a "great player", but insists he does not strive to outperform his Real Madrid counterpart.

Messi: I'll stay at Barcelona for as long as they want me

Debate continues to rage on over who is better between the Barcelona and Madrid icons, having recently come up again after Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA mens' player award. The accolades were awarded to the former Real Madrid star for leading both Madrid and Portugal to European glory in 2016, as well as winning the Club World Cup.