Argentinian-born Lionel Messi (born 1987) is currently ranked the world’s #1 soccer player, and when he’s not busy playing as a forward for RC Barcelona he can be found zipping around Europe in $240,000 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale. A notoriously private person, Messi’s modesty is matched only by his value to RC Barcelona — if he ever decides to leave the team, the club that buys him will have to pay a $340 million buy out. Messi’s closest rival is Christiano Ronaldo (born 1985), the star forward for Real Madrid, and recently both players crossed paths backstage at FIFA’s annual Ballon d’Or gala. And as it turns out, Ronaldo’s little boy, Christiano Jr., is a huge fan of his dad’s nemesis.
As TIME magazine explains, La Marca translated the exchange which was captured on video above. It shows Ronaldo telling Messi that his son, Christiano Jr., loves watching videos of them playing — but when the videos are over, Jr. ends up always talking more about Messi than his dad. You can watch Ronaldo’s son get seriously star struck by Messi in the video above. Ronaldo Jr. also made headlines recently when he walked in on interview his dad was taping for the official Portugal national team channel. The little superhero came in dressed as Superman and gave his dad a hug.
In May 2014, Forbes ranked Ronaldo first in their list of the world’s highest paid soccer players, with earnings of $73 million in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings for the previous 12 months. Ronaldo’s total net worth is estimated to be $230 million, while Messi’s totals $180 million. You can also watch 60 Minutes‘ fascinating January 2013 profile of FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi below.
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