Messi and Ronaldo Watch: A Look at the World's Best Rivalry After Week 1

La Liga is officially underway, and that means, among many things, that the best rivalry of our time has started back up.

Since 2008, either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo have won the Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the Year award every single season.

That trend is sure to continue again this year, and maybe every year until one of these players hangs up their boots.

There are still a few months to play before the winner is decided. That means that each player still has a chance to add yet another trophy to their cabinet.

If Ronaldo wins, it would be his second. Messi will be targeting his record fourth consecutive title.

Knowing how big this rivalry is as well as how close this year's race is—arguably the closest ever—Bleacher Report will be right here to keep you up to date on how each player does in the first half of this season.

Read on to see how Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared in Week 1 of the 2012-2013 La Liga season.

Messi vs. Real Sociedad

The Argentinian started his season out with a bang.

After being a bit inconsistent in preseason, Messi came out firing on all cylinders against Real Sociedad.

He scored two goals and could have had a few more with a bit more favor. Not a bad way to start the new campaign.

Barcelona's No. 10 finally got some much-needed rest this summer, and that could help him have another monster year.

Ronaldo vs. Valencia

The Portuguese star was not so impressive.

CR7 struggled to make an impact on the opening match against Valencia and was anonymous for large portions of the bout.

He completed just 76 percent of his passes, and all five of his shots were off-target. He tried three crosses, but none found a teammate.

He also gave the ball away more than anyone else on the pitch—although Mesut Ozil and Sofiane Feghouli matched him with three giveaways.

This was not a full-strength Valencia match, and Joao Perreira is not exactly Philip Lahm, so Ronaldo should have done better.

All stats courtesy of Who Scored.

Rivalry?

Before either player started the new season, the two best players in football came out and said that there is no rivalry between them.

Speaking with Marca, Messi had the following to say:

"There's never been any kind of anger toward Cristiano. It's all made up by the press who want to believe there's a constant duel between the two of us, but I don't compete with Cristiano, nor does he with me.

"I just want to do my job, I want things to go well, and I want to keep winning trophies with the national side and with Barcelona."

Days earlier, Ronaldo told reporters in Germany that he does not consider Messi to be his rival.

Great! I guess that settles it then.

Perhaps Falcao will indeed join the rivalry soon.

Messi Eyes Glory

After his man of the match performance in the opener, Messi talked about what he thought the win meant for the team.

“We’re a team that wants to keep on winning important titles for the club. I want to win it all, just like Tito (Vilanova). It will be difficult, but we’ll try. It’s important to start off winning,” Messi stated to Barca TV.

It's not surprising for Messi to have his sights set so high. If he can stay even near this level all season, he could prove impossible to stop.

Ronaldo Looking for Rest

After Madrid's disappointing draw with Valencia, Ronaldo cited early fatigue as part of the reason behind his and his teammates' poor performance.

"We're not yet in the best shape physically," Ronaldo said after the game. "It is normal. We'll be better, we are trying to."

Ronaldo said that he should be near full fitness in around a week and a half, but is not there yet.

After a long season followed by a grueling Euro 2012 campaign, I believe him. He deserves a little slack after such a difficult past 12 months.

The Portuguese star is one of the hardest-working players in the world, and there is no doubting that he'll soon be back to top form.

When he does get to that point, the rest of Europe better watch out!

Upcoming Schedule

Unfortunately for Ronaldo and Messi, who are looking for a bit of rest, they will not get that chance until mid-September.

Next up is the first Clasico of the season, as Barcelona welcomes Real Madrid to Camp Nou for the first leg of the Supercopa on August 23.

After that, Barcelona heads to Osasuna, while Real will head across town to face Getafe.

Then they face each other again in the Supercopa second leg on August 29, followed by their third league matches on September 2.

Rest, you say? Not for these two superstars.

Ronaldo and Messi both have four matches in just 11 days, so fatigue will play a major part in the performances of both players.

Follow @MichaelCernaBR