A former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed that the Portuguese star could finish his career playing alongside long-time rival Lionel Messi.

For much of the last 20 years, the careers of Ronaldo and Messi have dominated world football.

The pair are two of the greatest players of all time, not only in terms of their individual abilities but also the accolades they have won.

They have won 13 Ballons d’Or, nine Champions Leagues, and a total of 76 titles between them, scoring a total of 1732 goals along the way, excluding friendlies.

The Portuguese and the Argentine were always battling for the title of the best player in the world, particularly when they both played in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Both are now past their best and approaching the ends of their careers. Ronaldo is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, while Messi is the star of Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami.

It seems unlikely that their paths will ever cross again, but Ronaldo’s former Portugal teammate Pedro Mendes has suggested that the 39-year-old could link up with Messi in Miami.

Speaking to BoyleSports Mendes said: “If Cristiano Ronaldo joined Inter Miami it would be amazing for the fans and incredible for football in America.

“It would mean that the two best players in the history and future of football, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi would finish their careers together which would be a dream come true.

“However, I can’t see it happening. It would be very difficult.”

It looks unlikely that the two legends will ever cross paths again on the international stage.

On Friday Portugal were eliminated from Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage by France, in what might prove to be Ronaldo’s final outing at a major tournament.

Messi, 37, might make the Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup. His immediate focus is on Argentina’s Copa America semi-final clash with Canada on Tuesday evening.