Cristiano Ronaldo Jr meeting Lionel Messi at the 2017 Ballon d’Or was so wholesome

The Ballon d’Or may have been won by Karim Benzema this year, but for most of the last 15 years it has been the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi show.

The legendary duo had won 12 of the last 13 Ballons d’Or (Messi with 7, Ronaldo with 5) with Luka Modric being the only man to break the duopoly until his fellow Real Madrid legend this year.

As they competed for individual and team honours and awards on opposing sides of El Clasico in a rivalry for the ages, Messi and Ronaldo seemed to have little to no personal relationship.

Their off-field interactions were almost exclusively kept to award ceremonies, notably at the Ballon d’Or awards in 2017 when Messi met Ronaldo’s eldest son, Cristiano Jr. in a feel-good moment.

Galas de Balón de Oro eran las de antes. Cristiano Ronaldo jr conoce a Messi. pic.twitter.com/krRjESkPgN

The clip, entirely in Spanish of course, sees Ronaldo, sitting alongside his mother Dolores, directing his son’s gaze towards his great rival on the other side of the room, and asking if he knows who that is?

Messi quickly notices and responds in good humour by making his way over for a brief chat with the youngster, first asking if he is all good before giving him a hug and a kiss.

Dolores notes that her grandson is in shock and that he can’t believe that it’s Messi, which was later added to a funny interview she gave regarding it.

Per The Mirror, Dolores said: “I was with him and I said, ‘look, it's Messi,’ and he replied, ‘that's not Messi, he's short.’

“Then my son encouraged him to wave. Messi is a very good person.

“My grandson is already taller than him, it was a very fun moment.”

The moment showed the high level of mutual respect and good will the two legends share, with both previously stating