Cristiano Ronaldo honours Lionel Messi as he retires

Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are two giants of the football world, but now the latter has retired, leaving only the Portuguese striker in the game.

Fans of both titans often have a dedicated rivalry, but the Al-Nassr FC player showed respect to him after the Argentinian icon played his last international game.

“Leo, after so many years representing and defending your country, you’ve created a legacy that will last forever,” Ronaldo wrote in a comment on Messi's retirement post on social media.

“I have nothing but respect for everything you’ve achieved with Argentina. All the best," he penned.

Messi previously wrote a heartfelt note when he announced his retirement.

"It's tough, it's not the time for analysis," he said. "In the dressing room, I thought that this is the end for me with the national team, it's not for me.

"That's the way I feel right now, it's a huge sadness once again and I missed the penalty that was so important."

"I tried so hard to be champion with Argentina. But it didn't happen. I couldn't do it," Messi penned.