Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to go head-to-head for the first time since 2018 on Tuesday evening.Their respective teams, Barcelona and Juventus, have already qualified for the Champions League knockout stages.But this is still a fixture that neither superstar will want to miss.Ronaldo, much to his frustration, was absent for Juve’s 2-0 defeat to Barça in October after testing positive for COVID-19.But he’ll be desperate to outshine his eternal rival at Camp Nou, where he enjoyed plenty of great moments during his extraordinary nine-year spell with Real Madrid.p1eounkd9ea6f1v2s19g1oca10k49.jpgAlthough they have been rivals for the past 15 or so years, Messi and Ronaldo have avoided speaking badly about one another in public.There’s always been a level of mutual respect between the two.And in August 2019, there was a beautiful moment where the legends were sat together at a UEFA awards ceremony.p1eounm2d3b591nsn12o3dvhne7b.jpgInterviewed together for the first time, Ronaldo spoke about their rivalry and his hopes that one day they’d be able to enjoy a meal together."We've shared the stage for 15 years, me and him,” the Portuguese forward said. “I don't know if that’s ever happened in football, the same two guys, the same stage, all the time. It’s not easy.“We have a good relationship. We've not had dinner together - yet - but I hope to in the future."I miss playing in Spain, we had that battle the last 15 years which is good, he pushed me and I pushed him. It's good to be in the history of football. I'm there and he's there as well."p1eounn0bk1g1tq8ub12021kgid.jpgRonaldo, when asked if he could retire at the same time as Messi, added: "Well, he's two years younger than me. I think I look good for my age, I'm not bad."I hope to be here next year and two years and three years, so the people that don't like me, they're going to see me here."Messi, meanwhile, provided the following answering Spanish when asked if he missed Ronaldo: "It was nice to have Cristiano in La Liga, especially since he was at Real Madrid."Watch the clip here…

What a truly heartwarming moment that was. It’ll be replayed for many years to come in the future.

No doubt the two icons will have a quick catch-up and exchange a few friendly words before doing what they do best on Tuesday night.