Cristiano Ronaldo added another chapter to his long and storied rivalry with Lionel Messi on Wednesday when he sensationally backed claims that the Argentine 'stole' the 2021 Ballon d'Or from him.
Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday night, beating Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski to the prize by 33 votes and his old rival Ronaldo – a five-time winner – by 435 votes, who ended up sixth in the voting.
Less than 48 hours after the Paris ceremony, Ronaldo poured scorn on the Argentine's achievement by incredibly commenting 'facts' underneath a fan post detailing why the Portugal captain deserved the gong over Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) sensationally backed claims from a fan account on Instagram that Lionel Messi (right) 'stole' this year's Ballon d'Or from him
The post, on the page of a fan account called 'Cristiano Ronaldo - The Legendary' which Ronaldo himself follows, detailed Ronaldo's 2021 achievements before describing Messi's accolade as 'Theft. Dirt. Shame. Simply regrettable.'
The bizarre Instagram post went on to describe Messi's 'shame' in accepting the award he didn't earn was there for all to see before Ronaldo made the 'facts' statement with a thumbs up and looking eyes emoji directly underneath.
The one-word statement made headlines and has reignited the never-ending debate over which player is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).
Ronaldo commented 'facts' under a post which described Messi's win as 'Theft. Dirt. Shame. Simply regrettable'
The post, on the page of a fan account called 'Cristiano Ronaldo - The Legendary', details Ronaldo's 2021 achievements before pouring scorn on Messi's seventh triumph
And this isn't the first time Ronaldo has taken issue with Messi, either.
The two have always been compared with one another, given they have always been in a league of their own for nearly 15 years now.
But while Ronaldo and Messi have largely kept things respectful while battling it out for the GOAT tag, what are the other defining quotes from Portuguese superstar that have added spice to their rivalry over the years? Sportsmail takes a look.
'I'm the first, second and third best player' – Ronaldo after winning his first Ballon d'Or, November 2008
Ronaldo claimed he was the 'first, second and third best player' after winning the Ballon d'Or trophy for the first time in 2008
Following a stunning season with Manchester United that saw him score an incredible 42 goals in 49 games, Ronaldo was awarded his first Ballon d'Or trophy, beating Messi and Fernando Torres to the gong.
It would be the first time that Ronaldo and Messi would lock horns for the prestigious award and the first notable time Ronaldo would fan the flames in their rivalry.
After scooping the award, Ronaldo claimed he had no competition for the 2008 Ballon d'Or and that he should've finished in the two other podium places.
While his comment was said in jest, it kicked off what would be a rivalry that is still being contested to this day.
'I am the first, second and third best player in the world,' a tongue-in-cheek Ronaldo said in an interview with Brazilian daily O Estado de Sao Paulo.
'But there are other good candidates, like Kaka, (Lionel) Messi and (Fernando) Torres.'
'You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche' – After winning his first LaLiga title, May 2012After making his world record £80million move to Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo would fianlly end up going head-to-head with Messi on the pitch in El Clasico.
After landing the first major blow, Messi would emphatically bounce back by landing the next four Ballon d'Ors while also winning LaLiga in Ronaldo's first three campaigns at the Bernabeu.
The Portuguese talisman would finally get his first Spanish league title under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, leading him to claim that he is the better player despite having three less Ballon d'Or trophies at the time.
Ronaldo (left) said he was a better player than Messi (right) after winning his first LaLiga title
And while Ronaldo confidently claimed he was the better player, he insisted that they shouldn't be compared because they were completely different players.
'Some people say I'm better, other people say it's him, but at the end of the day, they're going to decide who is the best player,' Ronaldo told CNN.
'At the moment ... I think it is me. Sometimes (the comparisons with Messi) makes me tired ... for him too because they compare us together all the time.
'You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche because it's a different engine. You cannot compare them. He does the best things for Barcelona, I do the best things for Madrid.
'I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high. This is why Madrid and Barcelona are the best teams in the world because everyone pushes each other, not just me and Messi but other players.'
'Motherf***er' – Ronaldo denies reports he used a crude nickname for Messi while at Real Madrid, November 2014While their rivalry had been fairly amicable up until this point, things appeared to have got heated in the years following, according to those in the Spanish media.
During the height of their tussles for team and individual accolades, Ronaldo was accused of regularly referring to Messi by the nickname 'motherf***er' by Spanish journalist Guillem Balague in his book, MESSI.
Ronaldo outright denied the claims and insisted that they were untrue.
'News is circulating that I allegedly made offending remarks regarding Lionel Messi,' Ronaldo wrote on his official Facebook page.
Ronaldo denied reports that he used the nickname 'motherf***er' for Messi at Real Madrid
Ronaldo outright denied the claims made by Guillem Balague and insisted they were untrue
'This is absolutely false and I have assured my lawyer takes action to sue those responsible. I have the utmost respect for all my professional colleagues, and Messi is obviously no exception.'
Balague's
