A fortnight ago, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick of his own against Atletico Madrid to send Juventus through to the Champions League quarter finals.
And ESPN pundit Craig Burley claims that fans of the Portuguese star feel Ronaldo is unfairly treated by the media.
“It’s no surprise, is it?” he said of Messi’s hat-trick.
“It’s at this point that lots of Ronaldo fans get really, really annoyed with us.
Real Betis fans applaud Messi after Barcelona hat-trick
“They say ‘you wouldn’t be talking about Ronaldo for scoring a hat-trick but you’ll talk about Messi’.
“We didn’t give him enough.
“Whatever he does, it doesn’t surprise me.
“Whatever we show or talk about with Messi is not a shock for me, it’s just the norm.”
Trending
Lionel Messi was applauded by Real Betis fans after his hat-trick (Image: GETTY)
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Burley’s co-host Alejandro Moreno also praised Messi's brilliance.
“The reaction from the Betis goalkeeper showed their inability to understand that this can happen,” he said.
“That I think is the most impressive thing about Lionel Messi.
“There are certain things he does on the pitch that you cannot prepare for, you cannot account for, and when you see them you just have to take a step back and say ‘well, he’s too good’.
“And that is the truth about Lionel Messi, he is too good.”