Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Rivalry: Real Madrid Star Has Obscene Nickname For Barcelona Forward

Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly has an obscene nickname for his rival Lionel Messi that he only utters behind the Barcelona forward’s back.

This revelation was made by reputed Spanish soccer journalist Guillem Balague. His current book, Messi, is being serialized in the Telegraph [via Caught Offside], and the latest column to emerge has announced that Ronaldo refers to Lionel Messi as “motherf*****” when he is in the Real Madrid dressing room.

You can read the excerpt from Balague’s book [via 101 Great Goals] that makes this revelation below.

“Ronaldo, perhaps as a symptom of the immaturity that marks so many footballers, thinks it necessary to put on a brave face in front of his team-mates, not be scared of Messi and to rise to the challenge. All very macho; all very false.”

“And that is why, according to some Real Madrid players, CR7 has a nickname for him: ‘motherf*****’; and if he sees someone from the club speaking to Leo, he also ends up being baptized ‘motherf*****’.”

This is the first revelation that there is genuine animosity between the two terrific soccer behemoths. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as the two best players on the planet. And while it is believed that the duo share a mutual respect for one another, they are known not to be friends. Which is hardly surprising, really, as they live in cities that are hundreds of miles apart.

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely thought to be the best soccer player in the world at the moment. He is currently on a tremendous goal-scoring streak that has seen him score a remarkable 18 goals in just 10 games in La Liga this season already.

Lionel Messi still has more Ballon d’Or honors than his rival, though. The diminutive Argentinian picked up the accolade, which is given to the player that is regarded as having had the best form over the last 12 months, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has only picked it up in 2009 and 2014. However, he is currently the clear favorite to pick up the gong again for a third time when the results are announced in January 2015.

Over the last few months, several professional soccer players have joined the debate over who is better between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Recently, Wayne Rooney decided to side with his former Manchester United team-mate while Russian manager Fabio Capello voiced that he believes Lionel Messi is more skillful than his peer.

Who do you think is better: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

[Image via iFunSport]