Cristiano Ronaldo plays down Lionel Messi rivalry

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said he does not see Lionel Messi as a rival.

The pair have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or award alongside Messi's Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta.

It is the sixth time in a row that Ronaldo and Messi have both been included in the final trio of nominees, but Ronaldo believes there is no rivalry between the two.

"I don't feel that I'm frustrated by Messi. He does his work for his team and so do I for mine," he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the Ballon d'Or.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't feel much rivalry, at least not personally. We're here to win, we're part of football and that's what counts."

The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced in Zurich this evening.