MOSCOW, January 14 (Sputnik) – In a warm-hearted exchange between the world's two top-rated football players, often portrayed as bitter rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed that his son is a fan of Lionel Messi.
The exchange occurred after the ceremony in which Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d'Or, as the two players met backstage. Lionel Messi was walking past Cristiano Ronaldo who was sitting down with his family, when Ronaldo told his son Cris Jr. to go shake the player's hand.
"He watches a video on the internet of everybody and then he talks about you," Ronaldo told Messi, prompting his son to shyly retreat to his chair.
"Don't be embarrassed now!" Ronaldo then told his son, laughing.
Since 2008, the FIFA Ballon d’Or has been a personal battle between Ronaldo and his arch-rival Lionel Messi. Although the Argentinian superstar has fallen a little short this time, Messi won the title four times in a row (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), leaving Ronaldo in the dust three times (2009, 2011 and 2012), when the Portuguese came in second.