When it comes to and , it’s always a competition. Even when they are not directly involved. It’s been some time since Messi played for Barcelona and quite a while since Ronaldo turned up for Real Madrid.
Yet, when their jerseys went up for auction from the respective clubs, there was a battle again. In the end, one of those jerseys ended up fetching six times the other.
Not Even a Competition in Price
The jerseys were a part of the Rod Thornley collection. Ronaldo’s match-issued jersey was from the 2014-15 season, and it sold for 10,601 Dollars. Now that’s a pretty high price. Meanwhile, Messi’s jersey was from a pre-season friendly vs Manchester United in 2012. He signed it and gave it to Rod, who was the United masseur. This one went for 66,107 Dollars, six times that of the price Ronaldo’s fetched.
© X/UEFA
The Story Behind It All
Rod was with Manchester United for many years and built a collection of jerseys along with other memorabilia. He revealed that he had spoken to former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique before the 2012 friendly and personally asked for the jersey of Messi.
Check out what he had to say about how he ended up with the jerseys of two legends:
The Pride of El Clasico
Messi’s jersey fetched way more than Ronaldo’s, and it was not even close. Just goes to show that even years after leaving the club, his jersey has value. Messi and Ronaldo’s rivalry spiced up the La Liga El Clasico. Whenever Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other, people would look forward to these two. Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after being with them since 2004 while Ronaldo was with Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018.
Journey Almost Over
Now both legends are in the twilight of their careers. Ronaldo is 41 and has said that the FIFA World Cup 2026 was his last but has not yet called time on his international or club career. Messi is 39 and has not ruled out playing in the FIFA World Cup 2030. Both were a blessing to football, and fans were fortunate to see them play in the same era and occasionally against each other as well.