When asked about the 'eternal' rivalry with Lionel Messi, at a time when both are on different continents (and career stages), the captain of the Portuguese team responded diplomatically.

"The rivalry is gone, but it was a good rivalry, which the spectators really liked. But whoever likes Cristiano doesn't have to hate Messi. Or vice versa. We are both good, or very good, we changed the history of football and continue to change and we are respected around the world," he said.

"We are respected all over the world, regardless of whether we play outside of Europe. He's been doing well from what I've seen and so have I. The legacy continues. I've even said it a few times, we shared the stage for 15 years and we are... I won't say friends, because I never had dinner with him, but we are professional colleagues", he added.