Barcelona icon Leo Messi discussed Serie A, Argentina and his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Italian football hasn't been the same in the last few years. Just look at the two teams of Milan, Inter and AC Milan, they are not what they were ten years ago and struggle to qualify for the Champions League. Slowly but surely they are getting back, though. Nobody expected the elimination from the World Cup of national teams like Italy or Netherlands, but modern football is also like this: smaller but organised teams can cause you problems. It was a though period for Argentina, too. We had three different coaches during qualification and we needed some time to adapt to their different playstyles", said the Argentinian, after winning his fourth Golden Shoe.
Another important award like the Ballon d'Or is around the corner and one of his main contenders for the prize is Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, as usual. But the Argentinian star believes that this time it won't be only a matter between the two of them: "There are many amazing players that could win it. In the last few years either me or Cristiano won it, but players like Neymar, Mbappé and Suarez can win it. I don't know if Cristiano and I will become friends in the future, friendship is developed spending some time together and knowing each other. But we only see and talk to each other at award ceremonies. It's all good between us, but our paths don't cross that often".
