Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo says facing Lionel Messi in Spain was the making of him.

Ronaldo feels his time with Real Madrid in direct competition with Barcelona ace Messi forced him to improve.

He explained: "Being in front of each other in Spain allowed us to be better, more efficient...

"At Real, I felt more his presence than Manchester, so a little more pressure.

"From a certain point of view, it was a salutary rivalry."