Is Lionel Messi jealous of Cristiano Ronaldo?

Football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo always remain in the headlines due to their amazing on-ground performances, which they have proven with the numerous awards they share between themselves.

But while they respect each other on the field, is it possible that they might be jealous of one another?

Well, in his recent podcast, English footballer Rio Ferdinand made a startling revelation about Messi, an Argentine footballer who now plays for Inter Miami.

Daily Mail reported that Ferdinand claimed that Messi unfollowed Argentine footballer Alejandro Garnacho on Instagram just because he considers Ronaldo his idol — despite the World Cup-winning captain being his national side’s teammate.

“You know what I like about him? He doesn't give a f***. Garnacho told me that Messi unfollowed him just because he makes no secret of preferring Ronaldo,” the former footballer revealed.

"He comes out, don't care, ‘I'm a Ronaldo man’. Who's the GOAT? Ronaldo. (Even) when he's in the Argentina squad."

In April 2022, football fans claimed that Messi had unfollowed Garnacho on the photo and video-sharing platform after he posted an image of Ronaldo, calling him the best.

He, coincidentally, posted the Ronaldo image just three weeks after he uploaded an image of himself with Messi and called him his “idol”,

Messi, however, does not follow the Manchester United star to date despite Garnacho still following him on Instagram.