Who is doing it better? Check out breathtaking photos from Messi and Ronaldo’s luxury hotels

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been rivals on the field for a good decade since the latter arrived La Liga in an £80 million deal from Premier League side, Manchester United in the summer of 2009. Both players tried to outdo each other on the field and now, it appears their rivalry off the field as both take on the world of business.

The football superstars each own a handful of luxury hotels, with 31-year-old Messi recently acquiring the Seasun Fona in the island city of Mallorca off the coast of Spain. The hotel makes brings to three the number of hotels owned by the Argentina forward with the others located in Ibiza and Barcelona.

Ronaldo on his part has two hotels which already are open for business in Portugal. The hotels, operating under the Pestana CR7 hotel chain, are located in Lisbon – where his football career started with Primera Liga side Sporting CP – and Madeira – his hometown.

The Juventus star also has a third hotel under construction at the moment located in the Moroccan city of Marrakech. The coming hotel in the North African city which is a popular tourist destination will also be run in collaboration with the Portuguese hotel group, Pestana, which runs his two other hotels, and is expected to be open for business in 2020.

Before that happens, check out some photos from his already existing hotels in Madeira and Lisbon – where it is reported the city’s club is considering to change their stadium’s name to include Ronaldo’s name.

And of course, from the designs of the Marrakech hotel, you can expect a tastefully furnished hotel.

A view from inside one of Ronaldo’s Pestana CR7 hotels which art-decor inspired designs for the rooms.

You can enjoy some table soccer at the Sports Bar in one of Ronaldo’s hotels.

The swimming area in one of Messi’s hotel is a sight to behold. How will you not be relaxed after spending time here?

Another of Messi’s hotels has a swimming area at the rooftop, so you can also take in the breathtaking view while chilling.

Before you start thinking Ronaldo doesn’t want his customers to enjoy a view in the pool, check this out… a waterfront swimming area.

Both players also have memorabilia in their hotels.

Ronaldo’s first hotel came in July 2016 in his hometown, with the Portuguese icon stating at the time: “I wanted to be in the hotel industry for quite a while and the opportunity happened quite naturally.”

He added: “[It was] as a result of the relationship with the owner and chairman of the Pestana Hotel Group, Dionísio Pestana, who built the largest international hotel brand of Portuguese origin starting with one first hotel on my home island, Madeira.”

Even though it is a modest hotel, the Pestana CR7 in Madeira boasts a 4-star luxury rating with rooms starting for as low (relatively speaking) as N40,000 per night.

It houses 49 rooms which have peculiar, astro-turf lined designs in some of them. There’s also a rooftop which features a sauna with a relaxing view of the town’s mountainous landscape.

A year after Ronaldo’s first hotel opened for business, Messi acquired his first hotel in Barcelona – Hotel MiM in the coastal town of Stiges in Catalonia back in 2017.

Also rated four-star like Ronaldo’s hotel in Madeira, Messi’s first hotel contains 77 rooms with a swimming pool at the top floor among other luxury perks.

Messi has since acquired a 95-room hotel in Mallorca which is scheduled to reopen for business in May under the new name Hotel Mallorca Fona when the ongoing refurbishment of it is completed.

Ronaldo on his part plans to open more chains of his Pestana CR7 in more cities such as New York, Paris, Madrid after the one in Marrakech is completed next year.

Before all that, both players will be busy trying to get their teams an advantage in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.

Messi and his Barcelona at Old Trafford to face Manchester United while Ronaldo has returned to fitness in time for Juventus trip to face Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena.

Which of the two players’ hotels would you love to spend some time at some day?