Lionel Messi Comments on Cristiano Ronaldo Rivalry, Barcelona Future, More

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has insisted that he does not compete with Cristiano Ronaldo despite the superlative duo consistently being pitted against each other in the media.

The Camp Nou star and his Real Madrid counterpart have shared the last seven Ballon d'Or awards between them—the Argentinian winning four of them—and are unquestionably the two best players in the world.

However, Messi rejected the idea that having Ronaldo around in the same era—and the same league for the last six years—has helped him to improve, per Guillem Balague on Yahoo Sport: "These are things that people say. I don’t compete with Cristiano and I suppose he would not compete with me. What I want is the very best for my teams and that’s what I am working for."

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Messi and Ronaldo's perceived rivalry has existed since Ronaldo's move from Manchester United to Los Blancos in 2009.

As a product of Barcelona's La Masia academy, Messi has only ever played for the Catalan club at a senior level, and he has won every title going—including seven La Liga triumphs and four Champions Leagues.

When asked whether he could envisage himself playing in another league, he did not rule it out as a possibility, per Balague: "I don’t want to look too far ahead. I live for the moment and at this moment I am with Barcelona in the Spanish League where I have made my living and where I live very well."

If he ever wanted a new challenge, the 28-year-old Messi would have his pick of the world's biggest clubs.

In the past, he has been sporadically linked with Premier League clubs Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea as well as Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, per Cadena Ser (via Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star). But it never seemed a realistic possibility that Messi would leave the Camp Nou.

Similarly now, having won the treble with Barca last season, Messi is surely set to stay on with the Blaugrana for some time.

The Argentinian is currently enduring a rare long spell on the sidelines with injury, which has exposed the lack of depth in Barca's attack and proved how important Messi is to the side, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:

As noted by Balague, Messi said he is "improving every day," and his return cannot come soon enough for Barcelona.

They are currently tied on points with league leaders Real, and they face off with the Madrid outfit in the first Clasico of the season on November 21.

Messi will be eager to return for that clash, as it could be vital come the end of the season, and it will also see him, once again, face off against Ronaldo.