Cristiano Ronaldo is very sympathetic of Lionel Messi’s international retirement

He may be his greatest rival, but Cristiano Ronaldo didn't enjoy seeing Lionel Messi bow out like that.

The Argentine wizard retired from international football after missing a penalty during Argentina's loss to Chile in the Copa America final last week. Messi cited issues with the Argentine FA as one of the main reasons why he decided to step away from international football at just 29 years of age. Messi's biggest rival spoke about the former Argentine captain's big decision in a recent interview with AS. While Ronaldo is often pitted against his Barcelona counterpart in the discussions over who is the world's greatest footballer, the Real Madrid talisman put his rivalry with Messi to one side and came out in support of the decision. However, that is not to say that Ronaldo was happy about the news - quite the contrary. He admitted that he found it tough to watch him go out like that before adding that he hopes he reverses the call and returns to represent his country again.

"He has made a tough decision and people should understand it," he said. "He isn't accustomed to defeats and disappointments, not even finishing second. Missing a penalty doesn't make you a bad player. It hurts to see Messi in tears and I hope he returns to his country one day because they need him."