Cristiano Ronaldo Jokes That Messi ‘Owes Him’ for Translating at Ballon d’Or Ceremony

Cristiano Ronaldo has joked that his long-time rival owes him for services rendered at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony – not specifying what he wanted as payment, although it’s unlikely that Messi would hand over the trophy for a favour.

​Previously fierce tensions between the two appear to have cooled over the last season or two – which was shown at the recent ceremony where Ronaldo has now revealed that he acted as a translator for his great rival, as well as Messi’s Barcelona teammate Neymar.

He told reporters later: “We have become closer, we have always enjoyed a good relationship but perhaps in the last few years it has become a little closer,” before going on to talk about his impromptu translating.

“When we were up there on the stage neither Messi nor Neymar speaks English, and I was their translator,” he chuckled. “I spoke with them later and told them not to forget to pay me later for the translation!”