Messi on Ronaldo: Envy is an ugly word

The Barcelona star Lionel Messi has denied there is any jealousy between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, and praised the Real Madrid player's talents.

The Argentina captain won his fifth Ballon d'Or at Monday's ceremony in Zurich, but confessed that he would give them all up for a World Cup trophy.

Speaking alongside Ronaldo and fellow candidate Neymar prior to the presentation, he had warm words for his adversary.

Speaking alongside Ronaldo and fellow candidate Neymar prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or presentation, Messi had warm words for his adversary. Photo taken from Goal.com

"I don’t envy anyone and it’s an ugly word," he told reporters.

"I play the way I play, but Cristiano has so many qualities any player would love to have."

When asked whether he would give up all his Ballons d'Or for football's top prize, he replied in the affirmative. 

"That’s a hard question! But I would prefer the World Cup - it’s the ultimate trophy for any player," he said.

"The best thing about this year was having achieved everything we did with the club. It’s really hard to win things again, so it’s the maximum that we were able to achieve that."