Lionel Messi Lauds Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Magical Night' After Atletico Hat-Trick

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Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has put rivalries to one side and praised Cristiano Ronaldo for his "magical night" in Turin on Tuesday when his hat-trick guided Juventus into the UEFA Champions League's last eight. 

Real Madrid great Ronaldo fulfilled his own prophecy, as reported by Marca (h/t Eurosport), and scored three to pull Juve from their 2-0 first-leg deficit and into the competition's quarter-finals (U.S. only):

Messi scored two of his own as Barcelona beat Lyon 5-1 on Wednesday, and he told reporters after the game: "What Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus did was impressive. I thought Atletico Madrid would be tougher. Ronaldo had a magical night with three goals."

Both Ronaldo's Juve and Messi's Barca will feature in the quarters, with the former hoping to win a fourth Champions League in a row after clinching the trophy in each of his last three seasons with Real.

As was the case with the Bianconeri and Ronaldo, Barcelona would not have advanced on Wednesday were it not for Messi's contribution of two goals and two assists (U.S. only):

The pair have long been painted as adversaries, and Ronaldo did little to simmer that competition when he challenged Messi to join him in Serie A in December.

The 34-year-old—who left Real Madrid for Juventus in a £100 million deal last summer—is the Champions League's all-time top scorer on 124 goals and boasts an astonishing knockout-stage record:

Messi, 31, was generous with his words towards his rival following Ronaldo's hat-trick performance, which was particularly timely given the Portuguese had scored just one Champions League goal for Juve before Atletico's visit.

Barcelona's talisman has been a more consistent force in front of goal this season and has scored 36 times in 36 appearances in all competitions. Ronaldo has scored 24 goals in the same number of games.

BBC Sport illustrated Messi as the more potent player in Europe this season:

Messi continued and predicted a difficult quarter-final regardless of who Barcelona face: "All of the opponents are complicated. Ajax, for example, showed that they're an amazing team of youngsters and they don't fear anyone. It'll be difficult no matter who we face. We have to prepare ourselves for a tough challenge."

Wednesday's brace took Messi up to eight Champions League goals this season and makes him the highest scorer still active in the competition.