What Messi said about accepting Ronaldo’s dinner invitation

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, has admitted he is not Cristiano Ronaldo’s close friend, but would accept a dinner invitation from the Juventus star.

Sitting alongside one another on the front row of the recent UEFA Awards, the pair were asked about their relationship.

Ronaldo, who left Messi behind in La Liga when leaving Real Madrid for Juve in 2018, again aired his admiration and respect for his fellow five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The Portuguese also suggested that he and Messi should meet up for lunch at some stage.

Asked by Sport whether he would accept an invitation were a formal one to be tabled, Messi said: “Yes, I don’t have any problem with that.

“I’ve always said that I don’t have any issue with him. We might not be friends because we’ve never shared a dressing room together but I always see him at award shows and there’s no problem.

“We actually spoke with each other for quite a long time at the most recent show.

“I don’t know if there will be a dinner because I don’t know if our paths will cross for obvious reasons, each one of us has our own life and our own commitments. But obviously I would accept the invitation.”