In an interview with France Football after winning his seventh Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi said: "I always wanted to improve myself and not look at what others could do.
"With Cristiano [Ronaldo], we were in competition for years within the same league.
"It has been wonderful and it has served us both to continue to grow in our respective careers - but without necessarily having an eye on each other.
"I just wanted to challenge myself to be the absolute best and not to be better than anyone else."
The PSG superstar's record win has irked several fans who believe Robert Lewandowski and Ronaldo deserved the award.
Nevertheless, the Manchester United forward is killing it in one of the most physical leagues in Europe while Messi has only scored once in Ligue 1 so far.
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